99 Songs Movie Review | Filmfare.com
3.0/5
99 Songs is touted as a love story but the romance is secondary to the film’s basic theme, which is about a musician finding himself. They say that it takes 99 songs for a musician to make that one perfect song. Our hero Jay (Ehan Bhat), a college student doing his masters, is in love with fellow student, Sophie (Edilsy Vargas). Sophie is a fine artist and a fashion designer, though she cannot speak. And yet, the duo understand each other perfectly. Her super rich father (Ranjit Barot) doesn’t think that his daughter is worthy of Jay. Nevertheless, he makes Jay an offer about expanding into music and Jay heading that new concern. Jay turns that down as he wants to make a name for himself purely as a musician. Her father reminds him that it takes a musician to make at least a 100 songs to create something that touches the soul and Jay should only come back if he manages to do so. Thus, with the help of his friend from the North East, Polo (Tenzing Dalha), he travels to Shillong and gets introduced to Jazz music by the singer/owner of a nightclub (Lisa Ray). He becomes a trained jazz pianist through her mentorship and is on the way to fulfilling a part of his education. Circumstances lead him astray from the journey, till a mysterious stranger from his past (Rahul Ram) comes into his life and takes him back to his roots, completing his journey…
How does a musician become a musician. It is the hours of riyaaz that shape him? Is the music in his/her genes? Is it the gift of God only given to some or can anyone achieve it. Should he concentrate just on one instrument or genre or reach out to different disciplines and forms? Does nature play a role in his choices? Is he a product of his guru, his mentor, or the sum of his experiences? The film’s story is written by AR Rahman, who has also produced the film. These are the kinds of questions that are generally asked of a musician and the film tries to answer them as truthfully as it can.
Director Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy has gone for a non-linear approach. The film juggles back and forth like a fevered dream at time. What we experience are glimpses of fractured memories juxtaposed by some haunting imagery. All this could be translated as an attempt to gaze into the mindscape of a musician. Sophie can’t speak and hence we see her taking out her angst, her fears on canvas. She paints like a girl possessed, making order out of chaos, the end result being award winning paintings. Her silent struggle is a mirror to Jay’s own attempts at finding himself. His tryst with madness has the touch of horror film tropes. Vishwesh is content with bombing us with images upon images and making us connect the dots ourselves, rather than spoon feeding us. The whole film feels like a visual experiment where we are subject to different sounds and scenes. The songs play out in the background, becoming a character in themselves. How much of it will be palatable to the audience remains to be seen.
The film is riddled with some brilliant cameos. Warina Hussain playing Jay’s classically trained mother who passed away at childbirth is a fine touch. The Sai bhajan picturised on her, sung by Bela Shende, is the best song of the film. Manisha Koirala plays the kindhearted warden of a mental asylum. She brightens up the proceedings with her brief role. Lisa Ray as the sultry jazz singer and dancer too feels like an apt choice. It was fun to see Rahul Ram and Ranjit Barot doing proper roles in films and being good in them. Tenzing Dalha too is good as a bestie willing to do anything for his friend. AR Rahman chose newcomer Ehan Bhat to play the protagonist of the film. The actor with the soulful eyes reminds you of Hrithik Roshan in some places. He displays a nervous energy in his performance -- something that goes in keeping with his character and redeems Rahman’s faith through his fine portrayal. His performance has a surety of purpose that belies his newbie status and he surely is a find. Edilsy Vargas, who hails from Dominican Republic, doesn’t have a speaking role as such but makes up for it through her expressive eyes and face. She does all that’s required for her role -- to be the angelic muse for the musician. Whether she’d go on to make a career in Hindi films like other foreign imports such as Katrina Kaif or Amy Jackson, only time will tell...
Trailer : 99 Songs
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