Sehar (2005) User Reviews

A valiant effort from a débutant director

[singh-bk · 9/10 · 26 June 2006]

One of the most valiant efforts from a débutant director. I went out to watch the movie as I had nothing else to do and with no expectation at all, and till date I have watched it 5 times!!! The story is inspired by real life incidents. A cop(Arshad Warsi) is on the hunt for a young mafia don(Sushant Singh). This simple story line is backed with some very powerful performances and brilliant dialouges. The handling of the script keeps your interest alive throughout the movie. The movie has some breath taking moments and it is sans any sort of melodrama, though there was ample scope for it.

Though all the actors have excelled in the movie, I would like to shower additional praises on pankuj kapur.What a performance it is, and what a tragedy that it will go unnoticed, as very few people have even heard about this movie!!!!!

Brilliant movie

[roysid · 9/10 · 4 September 2006]

I finally got the CD (original) and watched it. What a great movie. Too bad that it didn't get much audience. Now a days movies which can throw in money for publicity makes a lot of money whether they are junk or not (for eg. Kabhi alvida na kehna).

Inspired by real life incidents, the movie depicts the story of Ajay Kumar (Arshad Warshi), new SSP of Lucknow who wants to eliminate crime from Uttar Pradesh. At the same time (which is 1997), Gajraj Singh (Sushant Singh) the new age criminal leader is evolving. He eliminates the old dons one by one and becomes the leader. Organized crime gets at its pick.

The new SSP has a bunch of brave,honest police officers under him. When criminals started using cell phones, he takes the help of Pankaj Kapoor, a professor of telecommunications. The battle between the police officers and the criminals goes on through the whole movie.

Briliiantly portrayed, the characters are as real as they can be. The nexus between railway contracts with builders, politician and criminals are shown in very real times.

The performance is brilliant. Arshad Warshi surprises everyone with his strong and controlled performance. Sushant Singh is brilliant as the mastermind criminal. Mahima Choudhary gives a sweet performance as Ajay's love interest.

Overall a great movie. If you get the chance, don't miss it.

Well-made drama a departure from usual Bollywood melodrama

[Aam_Aadmi · 8/10 · 16 January 2006]

This film by director Kabeer Kaushik, deals with organized crime in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (UP). But it tackles this from a decidedly different perspective -- that of law enforcement.

The story involves an honest-to-death police officer who convinces his seniors that the only way to combat the mafia on their turf was to step outside the box, so to speak. The film depicts LE in a positive light, and successful in its strategy, despite usual political opposition. And in yet another departure, a good looking guy is cast as villain. He is effective except one doesn't quite feel like throttling him for all his misdeeds. Plot unfolds in a no-nonsense format and while the climax is not all that unexpected, its again different from convention.

Some of the positive points include a low-key soundtrack as compared to the Blare Fare of typical Bollyfilms. Good acting on the part of Pankaj Kapur and Arshad Warsi in a leading role. The pace could have tightened up a bit had there been fewer scenes involving the mother and the wife-to-be. Only a couple of songs serve as background to the score.

No need to keep pressing the >FF> button on the remote.

a quiet underdog of a movie... which never got its due...

[krishnamurthikumar · 9/10 · 23 March 2008]

This movie shows what lack of publicity and promotion can do to a good movie.. A gem of a movie which somehow missed everyone's notice.. This movie gave a new look to the usual underworld saga by placing it in the UP hinterlands..

It also had a very interesting star cast of rather talented but under-rated actors.. It was a pleasure seeing Arshad Warsi in a serious, single hero role.. Pankaj Kapur was marvelous as usual..Sushant singh was highly effective.. as usual..Suhasini Mulay did a good job...

Had this movie been a little more promoted, it'd ve got the recognition it deserves. But now, it remains a good trivia movie...

Tell one story and tell it well

[neelvk · 8/10 · 20 January 2006]

One of the fundamental problems with a lot of Bollywood movies is that they try to convey more than one story at a time. This movie steers clear of that trap (though there are some distractions) and delivers a clear and crisp story. I don't think the story is exceptional (though being from the law enforcement perspective is unique) but the delivery is what makes it engaging.

The actors are believable and the casting is quite well done. I think going for Pankaj Kapoor in his role was very sharp. Other picks were excellent too.

I hope there are more movies from Kabeer Kaushik in the near future.

Underrated piece of work

[silvan-desouza · 8/10 · 22 December 2009]

Arshad Warsi a name who is synonymous with comedies But in this film he proved he can excel in serious roles as well

The film is a cop drama maybe a story not too new but brilliantly handled Sadly such films don't' catch the fancy of our janta who call such films dry, depressing.etc and praise craps like OSO.etc and then the same people say Bollywood is crap

Back to the film The film is set in 1997 when Mobile technology was a new term and mobiles were used by few people The film tells a normal story of a cop vs underworld but it's treated brilliantly

The cop isn't a 6 feet hero or a typical Hindi film hero He is a simple man, clad in Formals The only distraction in the film is the love story but if they make a film without songs, romance people will even more criticise it

The clash with the underworld, the use of Pankaj Kapur as a communication expert and also the fights using pistols are used brilliantly and give the film a realistic feel

Direction is awesome Music is okay Camera-work is perfect

Arshad Warsi known for his comic roles does an about turn and dons a serious cop role perfectly, this is an understated performance from him I wish he does such roles now wherein his comic streak is become boring Mahima is wasted Sushant Singh is good in his stereotypical role Pankaj Kapur excels Rajendra Gupta and others are adequate Suhasini Mulay is good

Movie which enlightens the working of organized crime in India

[vishalmengi · 9/10 · 19 February 2008]

It is one of the best movie i have seen in Hindi cinema. It throws light on the deep functionality of organized crime in India, formation of STF (Special task force), handling of early days of mobile technology by crime world. Best ever performances by Arshad Warsi and Pankaj Kapoor. It exposes how the nexus between local city police and under world criminals work, generation of funds using the real estate builders and tenders issued by local and central government, involvement of politician in encouraging the crimes. I recommend this movie as

"Must Watch" for all who are fed up with the system corrupted by politicians.

honest portrayal

[sandhirflora · 6/10 · 25 September 2005]

Another remarkable cop drama in the line of -Ardha satya/ Shool/ Sarfarosh and Ab Tak Chhappan. Though hard-hitting and realistic, it is definitely different in the sense that here more than protagonist waging a war against system or dealing with the rampant corruption or getting into a jingoistic, heavy dialog baazi he rather gets into the nitty-gritty of nabbing an underworld Don of UP. Also it exposes the nexus between politicians, administrators, businessmen, mafia and the police quite effortlessly. To don both the caps of writer and director is nonetheless a rare feat for a débutant and ad filmmaker turned film director Kabir Kaushik comes out with flying colors. The cinematography (R.A.Krishnaa), editing (Amitabh Shukla), art direction (Narendra Rahurikar), locales, the dialogs, sound design (Biswadeep Chatterji), stunt sequences (Parveiz Fazal Khan), music (Daniel B. George) all deserve a special mention in giving film a required rawness and creating a tense environment. The film manages to strike a fine balance between realistic cinema and mainstream cinema, which is an uphill task, and come across as an intelligent film. Though it has some flaws too like the overall tone of the film is far too serious than is required and tempo drops at places. It is sad to see honest cops dying one by one. Even the end is depressing. Among performances, Arshad Warsi is fabulous in his underplayed mannerisms (his best till date). Portrayal of Villain (Sushant Singh) as a cool headed guy who does not loose his temper in worst of situations, matches rightly up to him. Others are equally competent though Mahima Chaudhary's styling needs to be toned down a bit. Thankfully there are no forced songs in the way of narration. This film adds to the list of new cinema emerged in past few months which is a welcome relief from the tried and tested path and will definitely be remembered as one of the best films released this year.

Police versus organised crime syndicate, a reality...

[siddharthkrishnadwivedi · 9/10 · 31 December 2011]

Set in the backdrop of Lucknow, this movies explores the rising of Organised Crimes in Uttar Pradesh and its link with politics and government machinery. Also a police officer's desperate measure to eradicate this evil and how the system goes against him and then comes at par to solve this menace.

This movie also shows the brilliance of the police officers in solving a crime done in a very new fashion, as of then. Also, the inter-connection of crime and politics and the weakness of system is depicted.

Based on the real lives of gangster Shiv Prakash Shukla and SSP Arun Kumar, this is a must see.

Warsi and Kapur Stand Out In An Ordinary (At Best) Cop Movie

[Chrysanthepop · 26 February 2010]

'Sehar' is pretty much just another cops vs bad guys movie. It isn't a bad movie per se but the film hardly has anything new to offer except that here they track the bad guys by tracing their mobile phone calls. The execution lacks style. The cinematography is flat and the score is unnoticeable. The pacing is rather slow at times. However, the final sequence, with the flashback sequences, camera-work and editing is exceptionally done and remains effective. If only the entire film was filmed this way. Arshad Warsi gives a sincere performance as a dedicated officer who's passionate about his job and determined to catch the criminals. Pankaj Kapur is remarkable in a rather simplistic role. Sushant Singh is wooden most of the time and caricatured. Suhasini Mulay leaves a mark with a small role. Mahima Chaudhry doesn't get much scope but she makes the best with what she's given. Overall, 'Sehar' is a pretty ordinary cop movie with a very good final sequence. It's not worth more than a one-time watch.

POWERFUL

[AMOGHREVIEWS · 10/10 · 12 November 2022]

When It Comes To Well-Crafted & Realistic Cop Movies In Bollywood, The Names Which Come To Our Mind Are Sarfarosh, Shool, Gangaajal Etc... "Sehar" Although A Bit Underrated Can Easily Compete With The Above Mentioned Films... It's Bold, Hard-Hitting & Doesn't Shies Away From Showing The Brutal Mafia Raj In Uttar Pradesh In The Late 90s, History Of STF (Special Task Force) & How The Newly Arrived Cell-Phone Technology Posed A Challenge For The Police At That Time... Arshad Warsi Who Is Known For His Comic Roles In Golmaal Series, Dhamaal Series, Jolly LLB Has Played The Role Of SSP Ajay Kumar With Absolute Finesse.

Gem from Bollywood

[shilpichabra · 9/10 · 16 April 2021]

This is one of few Bollywood movies which i have watched multiple times. The story is fast paced, acting top class and cherry on the top - no songs. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who wants to enjoy a weekend with a movie. Acting is top class not from the leads but from each and every actor in the movie. No actor used as prop.

A excellent cat and mouse game between cops and gangsters !!

The movie is so nice that i request everyone not to use pirated copy but use original so that bollywood learns the value of making good movie.

One suggestion: Do not watch this movie with friends/family/kids who can disturb you while watching it as you will end up getting angry.

Awesome

[jitenderagg · 10/10 · 2 May 2020]

One of the best and most realistic movie on handling of crime. Very inspiring movie. Whenever I feel low, I watch this movie to lift my spirits.