The story of the film has been witnessed time and time again on the Silver Screen but its the treatment which makes all the difference.
The film revolves around SSP Ajay Kumar(Arshad Warsi) who is transferred to Lucknow-Uttar Pradesh(U.P) after being already being transferred 13 times previously.
Gajral Singh(Sushant Singh) is a gangster who begins spreading his reign of terror on the entire state of U.P. He starts bumping off all the well established gangsters with the hope of being the one supreme ruler of the entire state. Very soon his seeds of crime start to sprout and Gajral Singhs nefarious activities start becoming organised and the word "organised crime" is given a whole new meaning in the state of U.P
After a number of failed attempts, Ajay Kumar puts together a special team of dedicated officers called the S.T.F(SPecial Tasks Force) whose sole aim is to put an end to Gajral Singhs reign of terror.
Sounds familiar? The story by Kabeer Kaushik is one that has been witnessed by the viewer a hundred times before and offers nothing new, but its the screenplay as well as the direction that completely mesmerises the viewer.
The screenplay is superbly written showing fight between the cops and gangsters with emmaculate detail. The film presents to the viewer the politics behind Uttar Pradeshs railway contracts, politician-mafia-police-builder nexus, ISI involvement, internal corruption,encounter killings and above all the widespread use of a new form of technology with which the gangsters are one step ahead of the cops-CELLPHONES.
The story takes place between 1997-1998 where cellphones were brand new in the state of U.P and the manner and detail with which Kaushik detailed this is brilliant.
As a director no doubt Kabeer Kaushik is a intelligent and methodical man who knows the art of filmmaking. He is quiet clear at the outset what kind of a film he wants to make and sticks closely to his vision. The film for the most moves on a singular track which keeps the viewer completely engrossed to their seats. The few passing moments of romance between Arshad-Mahima also gel well with the film and don't appear forced in the narrative although I felt that the Arshad/Mahima romantic song could've done without. The amount of depth, realism and research that he has put into the film deserves a standing ovation..specially considering this is Kaushiks first film. Above all-he doesn't bore the viewer despite the material, although the viewer must keep in mind that this is a SERIOUS and HARD HITTING fare.The climax of the movie is superb. A special note must be made to the subtle detail that he puts into his characters which elevate the film completely. Kabeer Kaushik is definetly a director to watch out for in the future.
No doubt the performances in the film like this need to be topnotch and SEHAR does not disapoint.
Arshad Warsi delivers what is arguable the best performance of his entire career! He proves that he is a versatile ACTOR and not justa comic sidekick which is all the audience has seen him in. He gets right into the skin of his character and delivers a polished, nuanced and controlled performance which is bound to have the masses and critics situp and take notice of him. Hats off to Mr Warsi and heres hoping this is the first of many...
Pankuj Kapoor yet AGAIN delivers a performance that is truly outstanding. In my opinion this is one of the MOST underrated performances of 2005 and one that is HANDS DOWN worthy of an award. Pre-interval one feels that Kapurs role isn't as significant, but post interval Kapurs act slowly starts growing on the viewer and he explodes in the climax. The small nuances such as Kapurs dislikes towards guns and violence have come across perfectly. In the climax the actor bowls the viewer off their feet and leaves them gapefaced. His facial expressions in the climax are simply astounding.
Mahima doesn't have much of a role however she does impress in what litle scenes she has and looks gorgeous as always.
Sushant Singh is superb as Gajral Singh. He portrays his character of a gangster with complete realism and understanding and above all does not glorify the role of a gangster which is something I find RGV tends to be on the borderline of doing most times.
Suhashini Mulay is efficient as ever and plays her role with elegance.
The smaller character actors like Naved Aslam, Rajendra Gupta, Madan Joshi too manage to leave their mark and play their parts naturally.
The dialogues in the film are natural although slightly heavy at times for the common man to decipher. That doesn't change the fact they are superbly written nevertheless
Technically the film is well shot and has a slick look and feel. R.A Krishnas camerawork captures the ambience of U.P as well as the mood of the film exceptionally well. Parvez Khans action is realistic and hardhitting. There is a lot of violence and blood in the movie which doesn't look like its there for shock value.
Daniel.B.Georges background score is terrific and elevates the movie in certain places. The sombre score gels perfectly well with the film.
All up SEHAR is definetly not everyones cup of tea but it cannot but it is no doubt a darkhorse for the year 2005. Much like DHOOP and MY BROTHER NIKHIL the film has gone unnoticed at the boxoffice...but the film is a MUST SEE and holds its own in the "cop films hall of fame".
Final Rating: * * * *
