Filmistaan is a sweet, simple and high on content film that is all about two men; one from India and the other from Pakistan bonding over films and becoming friends.
Sukhwinder Arora (Sharib Hashmi) and Aftab (Inaamulhaq) are the men in question who take you through this amazing film that is full of fun, some feel good moments, some nostalgic moments and some tear jerkers.
Filmistaan celebrates Bollywood and the love we all share for our films, as well the actors that are a part of these films. Sukhwinder Arora is convinced that if he has to be an actor then he needs to be an assistant director much like Ranbir Kapoor. There is also some clever humour like “Big films are made without a script”.
Sukhwinder Arora or Sunny as he is called, is working with a foreign film crew close to the Indo-Pak border, when he is taken hostage by Pakistani terrorists Kumud Mishra and Gopal Dutt.
Stuck with the wrong victim, the terrorists find themselves dealing with a curious case of a captive who is a Hindi film fan. In captivity, Sunny finds a friend in Aftab (Inaamulhaq), a Pakistani who is a Bollywood buff too and who pirates Hindi movies for a living. The two set aside their respective nation’s hostility to bond over cinema.
Fresh and funny, this is a small film with a big heart. Filmistaan relies on it’s script and its actors to carry the film and both do a wonderful job. One is moved with the way the director has handled the developing friendship between the two captives.
One should salute the director Nitin Kakkar for making a film like this with such great content. Yes, nothing is perfect and so does Filmistaan, as it drags towards its climax, but then the entire experience of Filmistaan is so beautiful that one can let go of all the pitfalls in the film.
Filmistaan is gratifying cinematic experience and a must watch for all.
Ratings: ***
