A stunning canvas, sans depth

Mirzya
Hindi (U/A) Cast: Harshvardhan Kapoor, Saiyami Kher, Anuj Choudhry, Art Malik, Om Puri
Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra

For a debut of such a grand scale, Harshvardhan Kapoor could have g one easy on that facial growth. Most of his expressions are hidden under a mini forest, which nonetheless gels with the mane of the many horses he handles in Mirzya.

Saiyami Kher shows spunk, but her eye colours far outnumber the emotions she displays.
It’s essentially a Shakespeare-meets-sand dunes drama as Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra recreates the Punjabi folklore of Mirza-Sahibaan in the forts and deserts of Rajasthan. Mehra keeps the hues and grandeur of his earlier canvases, with an extra musical boost by Gulzar himself. Sadly, all the opulence and brilliance don’t translate into a similar cinematic experience.

Mehra uses a time warp as the star-crossed lovers go back and forth. The first has Harshvardhan and his horses in full glory, trying to win his love with some fantastic archery.

In the second contemporary setting, the bows and arrows give way to guns, as two childhood sweethearts rekindle their love in a fort. Saiyami is engaged to a prince (Anuj Choudhry, very effective) while Harshvardhan is just a stable boy.

Mehra puts his heart and soul into making Mirzya visually lush. And he succeeds. But only on that front.

There are no pangs or passion whatsoever as the lovers criss-cross two eras with their so-called desires.