Dor (2006) User Reviews

A sublime and powerful story

[shafi4uf · 9/10 · 1 October 2006]

Nagesh Kukunoor narrates a sublime and powerful tale of two women, intertwined by destiny. It is a story of quest- quest of love and the extent to which the protagonist is prepared to go for it. It is a subtle documentary on women subjugation and emancipation- a story of sisterhood. It is a narration of humanity and human relationships. The story moves us, it stirs us. None of the earlier works of Kukunoor prepares us for this marvelous fête of aesthetics and emotions.

It provides a landscape hidden to the eyes of the modern India. It paints a picture of an all together different world. The canvas is unfamiliar, but the characters are so easy to relate to- so easy to empathize with. Their pain is our pain; their jubilations are ours. We laugh for them and cry for them at the same time. They become for once us, and we become them.

The depiction of fiercely independent woman, Zeenat, by Gul Panag is by far her best performance on the celluloid. She essays a very powerful character which would go to any extreme to save her love- her background, religion, and limited resources not withstanding. She inspires respect for the character in the hearts of the audience. She tells us of the revolution which is silently happening in the hinterlands of India, where women are slowly but surely coming out of their traditional roles and becoming more empowered. She conveys this is a subtle way through her convincing and yet underplayed performance.

Meera is played by Ayesha Takia. And what a performance this is. Those who have seen Takia in her earlier roles would never be able to guess the sheer genius this actor is. One is forced to wonder what took her so long to express her real acting talent. Watch out especially for the scene where Meera's husband's battered suitcase is delivered in the veranda and she approaches it. Very few actors have been able to achieve the brilliance in their delivery to the extent she does in this scene.

Through his characterization of funny "behrupiya" Shreyas Talpade introduces an element of spontaneous fun with out disturbing the underlying emotional depth of the movie. He goes one step further from his earlier performance in Iqbal- show-casing a previously huge untapped talent. His appearance in the movie adds an extra zing to this tale of sisterhood.

Screenplay has done justice to all the characters. Secondary characters are also very well formed. Cinematography is awe-inspiring. The parched landscape of Rajasthan adds a kind of mysticism to the story. The juxtaposition of the story against this landscape adds an extra element of poignancy. Background music adds to the story without becoming overbearing. Technical departments have done a marvelous job. It shows in the movie that a lot of love and thought has gone into making of this movie.

All in all this is the best movie that has come out of Bollywood in a long time. It is a definite 9 out of 10. (I hesitate to give it 10 out of 10 because of the character played by Kukunoor himself in the movie that creates disharmony in the storyline.)

Awesome

[gupta-anand · 9/10 · 23 November 2006]

One of the better movies of recent times.. you hardly get to see a more realistic reflection of the life in rural India. Kudos to cinematography to create such a holistic picture of Rajasthan... and what a breath taking view of the Opening Act.

Nagesh Kukunoor has definitely done his homework before making this film. It touches so many real issues faced by India.. the fiercely independent Zeenat, the overtly coy Mira, the odd jobs a beherupiya has to do, the dependency a family has on a son who's abroad, the young girl who was dumped at birth, the state of mind of the elderly, the list is endless...

Every actor of the film deserves kudos for giving justice to his / her role. Ayesha Takia needs to do some such similar role to repeat the phenomenon; a different take from what she has done so far... She is refreshingly different. Well Shreyas, you are getting better at acting.

One word to summarize.. Gul Panag, awesome !! Look forward to your next film..

Lage Raho Nagesh Bhai

[vaibhav_bhandeo · 9/10 · 2 October 2006]

Movie depicts the Dor of life. Its unusual from a maker like Nagesh to produce such an emotional flick but he was brilliant in it. Specially the role of Gul Panag was splendid.This role must have been made for some one like Smita Patil or Shabana Azmi and Gul did real justice with it. This story revolves around the pain and agony a young widow whose husband is accidentally (Not quite sure) killed by his roommate who happens to be husband of the liberated woman Gul. The movie circles around her journey to find the woman who can get her husband free. Shreyas played an excellent role in this movie and surely second best role wise. Ayesha also played a good role along with Nagesh and Girish Karnad. All in all this is a movie worth watching. A 9/10 from my side.

-Vaibhav

A mirror to good cinema...

[shashikrishna · 10/10 · 8 October 2006]

Simple movies are the hardest to make in India. Being a traditionally colorful culture that subdues to the varying degrees of pomp and glitz, it is rare that something so simple yet powerful comes across.

'Dor' comes from the able hands of my personal favorite Nagesh Kukunoor. The man who revolutionized the so called 'parallel cinema' by giving it a relatable look with the classic- 'Hyderabad Blues'. With time his understanding of the cinematic life cycle has only matured and this is quite evident in his recent works.

I was on the flight from Frankfurt to Bangalore when I happened to see his brush with India's real religion – Cricket. 'Iqbal' brought to light more than just a story. It brought to me glimpses of an India we all can relate with. An ounce of style with the right amount of emotion made me appreciate this creative genius flying on an unknown land that evening. It was then I realized Nagesh was more than just a movie maker. He was indeed a 'mirror maker' who showed us visions of various parts of our own society. Parts we rarely get to see. Parts that are easily forgotten in the razzmatazz of everything else that surrounds us.

At the risk of trying to avoid this write up from becoming another review, I am attempting to capture the mood of the feature rather than the semantics of it. 'Dor' goes across the nation towards the Northern part of the country. Two stories running parallel to each other but united by one tragic cause. We have a story of a couple from the foothills of a valley in Himachal Pradesh. We have another story of another couple from the dune hills of Rajasthan. People from two completely varying faiths and cultural limitations find each other in the face of a tragedy. Simple people with not so simple challenges. People like you and me.

But then 'Dor' is so much more than just that. It is about the ignored woman section in India. It is about their eternal struggle in a male-dominant world. It is about the anguish a young widow faces in her close minded and medieval society. It is about a friendship that is born out of grief and put to test. A test that can easily make or break it. It is about mending broken hearts and ailing relationships. It is about hope that is so easily lost in the chaotic lives we are part of.

'Dor' is about the delicate threads that bind us as human beings.

Indians have always been fed on a rich diet of fiction and endless melodrama. To escape from reality is the easy way out but to own up to it and reflect takes a bigger individual. 'Dor' attempts at encouraging us starry-eyed scapegoats to pause and look into the mirror we live in.

As I said, simple yet powerful representations like 'Dor' are easy to ignore. But it only adds up to the injustice such genuine pieces of work meet with. I sincerely hope this is not the case with 'Dor'. Do yourself a favor and be a part of this qualitative journey for once.

As for me, I have found my mirror and I acknowledge what I see. I hope you can do the same.

The ties that bind...

[HeadleyLamarr · 10/10 · 21 May 2007]

I was finally able to get my hands on what was being hyped as possibly the best film of 2006. When there is so much hype I immediately become a skeptic - on the lookout for any flaws. So I watched this film in no complacent frame of mind - no way was I simply gonna like it because others did. Three hours later, here I am compelled to write a few lines about this film.

The story is simplistic - Zeenat (Gul Panag) and Aamir (Rushad Rana) marry in remote Himachal Pradesh against his parents wishes and then he goes off to Dubai. In the meantime, far away in Rajasthan, Meera (Ayesha Takia) and Shankar (Anirudh Jayakar) are married and he is getting ready to go off to Dubai. The thread is being spun.. Meera and Zeenat go through many months of separation from their spouses, living for the monthly phone call, the letters. Then one day the unthinkable happens - Meera is told Shankar is dead, Zeenat told that her husband stands accused of the murder and must die unless the widow of the deceased signs a form saying she forgives him. Zeenat does not know who the wife is but is of indomitable will and sets off on a long journey to find her and convince her to sign the piece of paper. The thread is now being pulled together.. With the help of a Behroopiya (Shreyas Talpade) Zeenat eventually finds Meera, and slowly begins to get close to her. The thread is now being woven into a fabric of friendship.. Eventually Meera finds out that Zeenat was using the friendship to get her to sign that piece of paper and rejects the friendship. The fabric is now about to be rent apart... Meera's life is in turmoil as her husband;s family feels acute need for the money he would send home each month. Will Meera realize exactly what gift Zeenat has bestowed on her? Will Zeenat be able to save her wrongly accused husband? The movie has no clichés, no pat answers, no hackneyed situations, and in the end we are left with an overwhelming sense of the triumph of humanity.

Nagesh Kukunoor wrote and directed a masterpiece in Dor. The film never drags, never leaves you incredulous, and is sometimes saddening, but in the end extremely heartwarming. It is extremely feminist in its views, but not in a shrill way - it never preaches, just points the way. The characters of Zeenat and Meera are drawn in a masterly way, you feel for both, understand both, sympathize with both, want to be like both - yet they are as different as chalk and cheese. The performances are outstanding - I am hard-pressed to pick favorites between Gul and Ayesha. Where Ayesha charms with her childlike simplicity, her quiet fortitude, and her occasional bouts of mischief, Gul sneaks into your heart with her strong but gentle nature, her quite strength of will, her single-minded belief that her husband cannot be a killer. Shreyas Talpade is charming as the thief/mime/mimic/man of many talents! He takes on every filmi hero known to us, changes costumes at the drop of a hat and is charming, cunning and vulnerable.

Outstanding moments in the film include Ayesha's finding out her husband is dead, Gul's telling Ayesha who she is and why she is really there, the grandmother telling the mother that one day she too will be on this side of the door, Ayesha's dancing to You are My Sonia in widows's garb, the dance in the desert, too many others to name. The music is excellent, the songs filled my heart and pleased my mind. I am drunk on the feel of this film.

This is a keeper and the film to watch when you are feeling blue. It will take away your sorrows and make you believe in the joy of being human.

Far away where a new life begins...

[Peter_Young · 9/10 · 16 August 2011]

Nagesh Kukunoor's Dor is perhaps the best film of 2006. It is a moving, inspiring and very involving piece. Sadly, such films, despite being generally well appreciated, get little notice amongst the majority of cine-goers and fail to do well commercially. I can't get it, because this one like many others has what it takes to be famous and widely popular. This is the story of two women: Zeenat and Meera. They are very different but they share the same experience. Zeenat is an independent, strong-minded and worldly Muslim woman. Meera is a traditional and highly disciplined girl whose life outlook is fairly old-fashioned and innocent. Both women have lost their husbands, only that while Meera's husband is no more, having reportedly been killed by accident, Zeenat still has a chance to get him back. That's where we get the film's main conflict: Zeenat's husband is the one held responsible for Meera's husband's death. He is now awaiting his death penalty in Saudi Arabia (where both he and Meera's husband had been employed). As fate would have it, Meera is the only one who can save his life, as in accordance with Saudi law, if the widow of a deceased man signs a form of forgiveness, the murderer can be released from punishment. Convinced of her husband's innocence and determined to save him, Zeenat sets on a journey to Rajasthan to find Meera and plead for help. Their acquaintance and ensuing friendship is what brings the film's best moments, all that while Meera is still unaware of Zeenat's true identity and the purpose of her visit. Both women find solace in each other, particularly Meera, who, inspired by Zeenat's attitude, discovers her inner strength and starts looking at life in a whole new way.

Dor is such a riveting movie experience. Movies of this sort, which are often labelled 'arty films', are generally known for their slow pace, but here there isn't a single dull moment. It is excellent in writing, direction and acting, and is consistently engaging. The script is stupendous and is effectively developed. Everything is kept simple and genuine, devoid of any possible redundancies or clichés. The movie is shot across breathtaking locales, and their exotic and cryptic beauty is perfectly captured by Kukunoor, who is of course aided by Sudeep Chatterjee's cinematography. The musical duo Salim-Sulaiman compose a winning soundtrack which efficiently fits the film's mood and cultural background and enhances the narrative. The film's instrumental theme song in particular is a true pleasure. The characters of Zeenat and Meera are excellently played by Gul Panag and Ayesha Takia, respectively. As Zeenat, Panag is thoroughly convincing in a strong yet subtle performance that is perhaps her best. Ayesha Takia is even more impressive in a performance that just keeps growing on you with every new scene right until the end. She looks cuter than ever and her raw simplicity is incredibly charming, while she brilliantly captures Meera's innocence, vulnerability, repression, and ultimately her inner growth and coming-of-age. The two ladies are supported by several actors who play their roles with utmost conviction, including Shreyas Talpade and Uttara Baokar. As opposed to what many others seem to think, I did not find Dor to be feminist or something of this sort. I see it as a culturally rich, fascinating and inspiring picture about humanity and friendship against the most impossible circumstances.

Awesome movie.

[dr_ram77 · 10/10 · 17 October 2006]

One of the most poignant movies that has come out in the present day Indian Cinema. The story is very convincing & realistic yet serene, never losing its beauty. Ayesha Takia surprises us with her impeccable acting and dialog delivery. The dialog's are crisp and full of life and that make the characters come to life and make such an impact on the viewer. Kukunoor has shown some of his best directional skills. The movie never looses its pace...Gul Panag & Shreyas Talpade have done their best. On the whole this is a movie, in line with Rang de Basanti and Lage Raho Munna Bhai, which have started a new trend in movie making in India....away from the popular, sugar coated hypocritical movies. These movies have the ability to carry strong messages, yet entertain us throughout with a feel good factor. Hope we have more directors such as these...Oscar will not be far.

A plain story which is spiced up with a good screenplay, cinematography, dialogues and Kukunoor's sensitivity as a filmmaker...

[runi_star · 7/10 · 1 November 2006]

Film: Dor

Cast: Gul Panag, Ayesha Takia, Shreyas Talpade, Nagesh Kukunoor, Girish Kanad

Director: Nagesh Kukunoor.

Zeenat and Mira are women from two different worlds. Be it geography, culture, religion attitude, lifestyle or their names. In other words, its either black or white, the difference is tremendously visible. In spite of all these differences, there is a connection "a dor" and Nagesh Kukknoor has effectively trailed on it.

Mira played by Ayesha Takia, hails from Rajasthan. The mystic and forlorn beauty of the desert coupled with the orthodox ideas and views, reflects Mira's life, whereas, confidence and vigor is synonymous with Zeenat (played by Gul), the girl from lush and green Himachal.

Their husbands went out to the foreign shores to make things better at their respective places. The emotions of a newly wedded woman and her pain when he leaves out for work, the once in a month phone call by her husband which would last for a few minutes only, the desires , the love and longing in case of Mira is well portrayed. And the way she would climb up a stone to get clarity or network of the call is very apt in village as in Jodhpur.

While in case of Zeenat, she had to change the mind set of her in-laws about her. A very strong and determined lady. She takes everything to her stride.

The story takes a turn when Mira's husband gets killed and Zeenat's husband is held responsible for it. They used to be roommates. The only way Zeenat's husband could get out of the situation is Mira's letter of consent saying she has forgiven him.

So the journey begins for Zeenat. With nothing, but a photograph of her husband with Shankar ( Mira's husband), she begins the quest. The song, "ye honsla" is very fitting. On the way she meets up with a "Behrupiya", played by Shreyas Talpade. This character brings life to the entire story. He has done complete justice to the character. Very lively, the audience keeps asking for more.

The way they track the Shankar family and how Zeenat becomes Mira's best friend and helps her to shed her inhibitions is very interesting. "Imaan ki Udaan", as Zeenat puts it.

The best part of Kuknoor' film is his ability of not ignoring human emotions. The way the Behrupiya helped Zeenat and he eventually falling in love with her even after knowing that she is married is one example of it.

All throughout their friendship, she never gets the courage to confront Mira the fact for which she takes up the journey. The final outbreak of the film is a typical Kukunoor touch which he specializes!!!!!

In terms of performances, there is nothing great. Credit goes to the strength of the characters in the story itself and there is one scene where Kuknoor looks at Mira and the very look is so suggestive of his intentions. Kudus to the scene!!! A plain story which is spiced up with a good screenplay, cinematography, dialogues and Kukunoor's sensitivity as he tried to bring forth the issue of female foeticide into it.

The loyalty of a wife to her husband triumphs over adversity.

[nat_carni · 8/10 · 13 February 2007]

I very much enjoyed this movie and thought performances by both females leads were good. I especially liked Zeenat's (Gul Panag) courage, quiet dignity and fortitude in the face of an overwhelming and frightening situation for a young bride. I am of the opinion that she acted better than Ms. Takia, but both were very good. Mr. Talpade is also excellent as the comic foil and does a admirable job of plaing the jester. He is a con man with a heart of gold and proves this in his dedication to the cause at hand. I enjoyed his performance in Iqbal and here as well. It is really worth seeing this movie - the scenery is also breathtaking especially the scenes of Himachal Pradesh! The story line is also a different one - I have not seen such a topic in Hindi films.

A drowning man will catch at a straw

[AvinashPatalay · 4 January 2008]

A very different body of work from Kukunoor's factory probably because its inspired from a Malayalam movie. Nevertheless, an outstanding piece which places Kukunoor's on a very different league (age and maturity, probably?).

The grey shades of every character are depicted convincingly. Be it Girish Karnad who wants to save his palace, Nagesh Kukunoor as the opportunist building contractor or Prateeksha Lonkar as the jealous woman. Having said that the main protagonist Gul Panag is no exception either. Nevertheless, all of them put up a spectacular feat. The deglam roles of both heroines will be remembered for a long time to come. Finally Shreyas Talpade get a role which showcases his ammunition in terms of acting. Its good to see Uttara Baokar after a long sabbatical.

The palaces, grandeur and beauty of Rajasthan is captured aesthetically. The costumes, language and the background score compliment to the authentic feeling. A few might complain about the pace of the movie though.

The movie reminds me of Manthan and Mirch Masala and if this movie was made a decade ago, it would had Smita Patil and Shabana Azmi.

Bottomline:: Extremely surreal experience

7/10, if you ask me

[deepu38 · 7/10 · 28 December 2006]

May be because I have seen the 2004 Malayalam movie Perumazhakkalam. The story was not a fresh one... and all the time I was comparing this with the other one... Still I ll rate it is a good one... because it is a good one..

Both the ladies played well. I liked the way it is picturised.. It was a relief watching something serious after watching so many stupid movies... Also glad to see that Nagesh Kukunoor is keeping up with the expectations from his previous movie. True, as someone said, this is is a poignant subject.

I truly believe that you should go and watch both Dor and Perumazhakkalam and compare it... I ll go with 7 for Dor and 8.5 for Perumazhakkalam.

Dor-A refreshingly different film

[chet_rathod · 8/10 · 28 September 2006]

Before I set about describing the plot, it should be mentioned that an honest and sincere attempt at anything will always elicit applause and appreciation. By no means is this film a masterpiece; however you can easily see the attempt that it makes in being one and purely for this reason it deserves a viewing and when you do give it an audience, it will give you many more reasons to watch it again.

The story is about two women who happen to be connected by a strange quirk of fate. Zeenat (Gul Panag) and Mira (Ayesha Takia) live in breathtaking geographies of their respective states. Zeenat in Himachal Pradesh has her home nestled in the lush green hills overlooking the undulating river as she cuts lovingly through the hills. Mira on the other hand lives in the barren state of Rajasthan which glows with its harsh painful beauty, "havelis" proclaiming the patriarchal society. Both these women have just begun their married life in absolute love with their spouses, however for economic reasons their better halves have to go to the gulf. In the far off land, Mira's husband is killed and Zeenat's husband (Amir) is held responsible for his death. The harsh law of the state doesn't allow him to be expedited and believes in an eye for an eye, so Amir will have to part with his life unless Mira decides to pardon him. Thus begins Zeenats journey to track down Mira armed with nothing but a photograph and her strong will power to save her loved one at any cost. She meets Shreyas Talpade on the way who is "masquerade" or a "bahurupiya". Shreyas helps shorten her search through ingenious ways and using his masquerading talent. Beyond this it is best watched on the large screen.

The film has one of the best background soundtracks, haunting and apt with the look and feel of the film. The cinematography is amazing, the way the camera captures the beauty of both lands is awesome. Memorable scenes are the Himachal hills with the river and the blue houses of Bikaner among many great scenes. There is a tendency to start most scenes with a non descript object in focus and then shifting the gaze to the characters but before it becomes too noticeable, it is rectified. The acting is outstanding. Gul Panag is very convincing as the strong willed woman, however the anguish and the pain of knowing that she could loose her loved one is not depicted well. Ayesha Takia does a great job of a nubile young widow who has to confine herself to the life of a prisoner just because she has lost a husband. Her accent is not very convincing. Shreyas Talpade is the pick among all. His mimicry talent is beautifully showcased here and his accent is flawless. He leaves you with quite a few memorable scenes, especially the one in which he declares his affection for Zeenat. Nagesh brings out certain subtleties which declare his talent for serious cinema. How ever certain elements stop this film from being a great work. The character of Mira could have been made stronger if the decision making for her would have been complicated by lessening the complications in her life, this would have brought out her character in full. The pace of the film might not find favour with the majority of the audience. The climax of the film leaves a lot to be desired. In spite of all its shortcomings, Dor should not be missed. It is very rare that such serious cinema is attempted in commercial domain which seems to be obsessed with celebrating philandering on the streets of New York and forcefully pushing the media to discuss the same on prime time. The film doesn't for once become larger than life and sticks to the portrayal of human behaviour and relationships through trying times and decision making. May not be for the front bencher's but definitely for the connoisseurs.

Just another Bollywood movie - not worth the hype

[ramaseshan-k · 6/10 · 12 October 2006]

It's the year '98. Enter Nagesh Kukunoor, new kid on the block, chemical engineer with a flair for chic direction, who breathes a fresh air of life into the rotting Bollywood movie scene abuzz with the Kuch-Kuch-Hota-Hais of the Here's-another-one-with-the-story-in-the-title ilk. Fast forward to the year 2006. Bollywood hasn't changed much, living to its complete glory with KANKs and other tosh. But sadly, Kukunoor has. Dor, which literally means a string, possibly signals an end a string of movies that examined un-conventional and hushed down mores in a contemporary Indian society. Movies that had a trademark un-slick editing, with some sense of youthful arrogance, and evinced a thought provoking interlude of dialog amongst an audience hungry for some food-for-thought. But sorry, Dor doesn't belong to this category.

Dor starts off with Zeenat(Gul Panag) being courted by lover Aamir, running parallel to the story of Meera(Ayesha Takia) and Shankar soaking up in conjugal bliss in some god forsaken location in Rajasthan(more about this later). Oh, and BTW, from whatever few Indian movies I have seen, can we please leave the love making scenes to be the sole proprietary of Mani Ratnam movies? Others possibly never seem to get past the stage of screening something hopelessly imbecile, featuring giggling couples caressing each other as an excuse for sex. Anyways, it comes to pass that Shankar and Aamir must leave their newly wed brides and set abound for a distant land to earn a decent living for families back home. While Zeenat, who has married Aamir clandestinely without much apparent societal support, manages to eventually win the trust and affection of her in-laws; Meera is stuck in a traditional Rajput household, stifled by feudal anarchy that is the wont of such traditions. As days pass by, we see both wives communicating with hubby beloved and counting days for their return.

All of a sudden, tragedy strikes, a-la Bollywood style. Shankar has died in a freak accident involving his roommate Aamir who has purportedly pushed him from the tenth floor – or so we are told by an official from the ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India, who makes a trip all the to this village in Himachal that has random coordinates. Now wait Mr. Screenplay-writer – unless you've apriory presumed that the audience to be comprised of completely brain-dead morons who possess subnormal IQs – no loser would ever believe in that preposterous gibberish of MEA officials dropping by at your home to relay some arbitrary news. Thank heavens they didn't veer the story in the direction of an omni possible barbarian genocide in form of an India Pakistan war as a resultant of a sitter of a politician traveling all the way to break news to a petty laborer's family. It's high time the audience demanded that we are not to be intravenously fed on this humdrum crap. But on second thoughts, maybe we have already been numbly delusion-ed into accepting this as an integral part of pop-culture that Bollywood epitomizes and that is what coaxes us into silent acceptance of such trite. Moving on, our friendly devoted MEA official informs that the only way Aamir can be saved from the impending conviction and eventual sentence, is when the victim(Shankar)'s widow signs a bond of amnesty for Aamir.

Once this connection between the two couples is established(all this happens in the first half-an-hour), figuring out how stale the rest of storyline is going to be, I would reckon, isn't exactly as complicated as modeling the flow of 2 dimensional energy waves through an anisotropic media in the form of a partial differential equation.

Chug-chugging forward exactly as predicted above, the rest of the movie bounces and rebounds over your now-so-dead neural system and you just sit through it blank and coldly numb like a victim of a gang rape who went to Khandala expecting the sweet serenades of her romancing lover, and instead found this gang of lust-hungry vultures pouncing on her one after the other till a point where she felt no pain, because it was already blanked out from the utter despondency caused from the resultant betrayal…

Zeenat sets out on a wild goose hunt for Meera and her only referential document is a lone photograph of Shankar and Aamir. She bumps into a so-called "beherupia" – a petty thief(Shreyas Talpade) who doubles up as a limply humorous mimicry artist, and this ultimately accounts for whatever little "paisa-vasool" the movie could succor. They manage to spot out Shankar's place by making vain attempts at playing Sherlock Holmes, and a friendship ensues between Meera and Zeenat, whence the latter teaches the former courses like "women's Lib 101" and "self-belief for dummies" and "seven effective ways of taking controls over the reins of your life". Heck, if I had really wanted a philosophy lecture, I could park my posterior at home and tune into Aastha channel free of cost and that way I don't have to stand irritating people who come to the movies with little kids that get impatient and start wailing their lungs out.

Spoiler Warning:

The movie ultimately ends in a DDLJ style, with Meera handing the signed document over to Zeenat and then boarding the speeding train, leaving behind a life of unscrupulous hostility and a flesh trading father-in-law for whom self pride and inanimate ancestral property is more important than the "maan-mariyada" of the daughter-in-law. Now don't blame me for a climax spoiler, because I firmly opine that a movie with loopholes resulting from lack of homework and research(No Rajashthani pronounces the name Chopra as "Chop-ra" – it's "Chop-da"...), blatantly melodramatic screenplay, extremely predictable storyline and a cornucopia of mushy poop doesn't deserve anything better than this in the first place.

This story is a bad rip off of Perumarzhakalam by

[praveenvj · 3/10 · 30 December 2006]

I have read the other user comments and I am happy someone has compared it to the original by Kamal called Perumarzhakalam released in 2004.

The original had a tight story and no loopholes as described above about the Indian Govt not having proper records, or even bad shoots and bloopers.

The story is great and a touchy one and well described by others. But sadly Nagesh taking credit for it as his own story is a sad thing and amounts to nothing other than plagiarism.

I guess he has been affected by Bollywood's so called "inspired" syndrome.

He must at least give credit where it is due.

I liked some of his older movies, but now I suspect if any of them were originals after all.

Here is a link in IMDb for the original masterpiece. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0425350/#comment I recommend everyone to see the original, even with subtitles if needed, to know what class direction and class acting is all about.

Postcard Movie!

[arvindbatra · 8/10 · 27 September 2006]

Dor is a well crafted post card movie. The movie at many times moves as if the director is flashing postcards one by one. Set in the backdrop of himachal and Rajasthanm, the beauty of nature is captured very well. Nagesk Kukunoor once again manages manages to create the emotional drama with this film. Solid performances by all stars especially by Gul Panag. She surely had shown potential after dhoop and in this movie she is surely a treat to watch. Miss Takia has also done a good job.

Dor is a story of two different woman handle their dor of life differently and how their life intersects due to one incident.

The story is well written and screen play is good. Mr. TalPade manages to provide humour to this movie convincingly. One place where it lacks is in its ending which could have been a "less bollywood" ending.

But with the script, direction and solid performances it is very good movie 8/10.

Good Movies in the Modern Era

[hyderabadus · 9/10 · 13 November 2006]

One of the rare movies that cannot be seen these days in the Indian Movie Industry. Performance of Gul Panag (As Zeenath) and Ayesha Takia (As Meera) has been exceptional and are major highlight of the movie. Story of the movie narrates around 2 newly married women, one from Himachal Pradesh and other from Rajasthan. Most part of the movie has been shot in the desert areas of Rajasthan. Gul, formerly Miss India (1999), and Ayesha, Modern Day Actress, have reached important milestone in their career by selecting this performance oriented role and also doing good enough justice to their roles with performance. Screenplay of the movie has been framed really well, as and when the movie passes by it increases interest in the audience how the movie proceeds from there on. One of the rare in the current modern era.

Amazing movie.

[silverstarcast · 9/10 · 24 October 2006]

Dor takes off with a shy young Meera(Ayesha Takia) in Rajasthan biding goodbye to her husband, Shankar, who is going overseas to work in parallel to the recently married,fiercely independent Zeenat(Gul Panag) parting from her husband -Aamir, who live in Himachal Pradesh, who's also going overseas for work. Life continues for them both. One day Meera finds out her husband has died. And by this not only does Meera lose her respect, but also her independence and love. At the same time, Zeenat gets a call that Aamir has been accused of murdering his roommate in UAE. And he is to be executed in 2 months. The only way to save Aamir is to get the deceased's wife's signature on an apology letter(mafinama). Zeenat then sets out to find Shankar's widow in Rajasthan only with a picture of Shankar. She arrives in Rajasthan and meets a Behrupiya(Shreyas Talpade) who after an initial spat decides to help Zeenat. When Zeenat finds Shankar's house, she talks to Shankars parents who throw her out. She still believes that once she talks to Meera, she'll be able to get her to sign the document. Finally she meets Meera at the local temple. But Zeenat is unable to tell Meera the real reason why she's there. They soon becomes thick friends, and Zeenat helps Meera to become more independent in her thoughts. She teaches Meera that it isn't wrong to feel happy. Will Zeenat be able to tell Meera her real problem? Will Meera agree to sign it? I believe the casting has been done amazingly. Both the girls fit in their roles with ease. Shreyas is amazing as the comical behroopiya. Its not the greatest entertainer, but its a simple drama. Watch this movie for its simplicity and sincerity.

Spellbounding!

[Luckks · 10/10 · 10 November 2020]

Great story, very good acting, and beautiful Rajasthan. Enjoyed it throughout. NK has gotten good at direction 🙂

The DOR Effect..!!

[rajesh-bachani · 7/10 · 23 October 2006]

Nagesh Kukunoor, and his new installment, DOR, seem to be making raves in the media these days. His IQBAL was an instant hit, for quite conspicuous reasons, and the same was being expected of DOR. But, overall, the movie just doesn't stand at par with Kukunoor's typical sophistication of delivery. The concept of DOR is a bit too simple, in fact too simple to develop a full two-hour movie.

I was introduced to the movie by a friend, who had just been back from the cinema hall, along with some very sweet memories. And I downloaded the movie immediately. DOR starts off in a very romantic way, depicting parallelisms between two stories, happening in different parts of the country and relating to people of different religion to make it multicultural. And some minutes into the setting, the two stories get linked by a terrible incident, involving death of the husband of one of the protagonists, Mira (played by Ayesha Takiya). This is the moment when the story, and also the second protagonist, Zeenat (played by Gul Panag), who is the wife of the presumed killer, get a goal to run for. The next one and a half hour are devoted to how the goal is achieved, involving a myriad of messages being passed on the way. These include themes like the Hindu-Muslim relation, human values of self confidence and believe (which was precisely the theme of IQBAL) and also the grim situation of widows, that still exists in the rural parts of India.

Though the concept of DOR has been more like a series of good thoughts, and aspects on which the Indian society still needs awakening (the definition of the Kukunoor style), there has been a momentum lacking in the movie. At points in time, one might feel the pinch of the story being elongated a bit too much, all but for no reason. But that was inevitable, since the concept of the movie dwelled on was too simple. Rather, there could have been a short movie on the same concept, but with a greater impact on the audience. So maybe, the script should have been stuffed with more concreteness to look at. Kukunoor tried to make the movie hip-hop type, with some foot-tapping Bollywood songs, and a sequence of dancing in the middle of the desert, which I believe failed to leave any impression. They were more like aggravating the lost-feeling I had in the middle of the movie.

But, there were two aspects in which the movie is appreciable. First, the actors (especially Shreyas), who performed their jobs with a great degree of sophistication. Kukunoor, though, was not able to gel together in the scenes with these full-time actors. He seemed to be passing time in front of the camera, and it was for sure not one of his memorable appearances. Ayesha Takia, whom I always under-estimated, maybe because I had never fully seen any of her roles, came out as a pleasant surprise. She looked amazingly young in the movie, which I guess she is (Teen Queen!!!), with good level of maturity. And Shreyas was just awesome with those short pasquinades. He looked just so perfect in them, rather giving the impression that he was some professional comedian, working as an actor to earn some money.

Secondly, the music of DOR has left a mark on me. And without doubt, thats because it was very much Classical. Kukunoor seems to be too impressed with Shafqat, the lead singer of Fuzon, to have him to sing in DOR. If you note, Hyderabad Blues - 2 had two songs from the album Sagar by Fuzon, which were actually how Fuzon got popular in India. Shafqat appears in Bollywood in this album, after Mitwa in KANK.

Overall, the movie was quite satisfactory, but without the kind of depth that a Kukunoor movie should have had. But, there always is this guy, who is at least trying to make movies on the problems of India, trying to focus on issues which seem to have been dumped into obliviousness. Thats the most appreciable thing about the legacy called Kukunoor.

The dor of life and death - truly entwined

[Amadeus75 · 9/10 · 24 December 2006]

Dor is a true tribute paid by film maker Nagesh Kukunoor to the resilience and inner strength of women irrespective of their background. Story tells the rather poignant tale of commonplace people and their rather hide and seek with destiny. While lives of people who have infinite degrees of separation suddenly get intertwined, there is bound to be endless possibilities of change of course of events in the lives of the people concerned. Zeenat (played with enormous amount of maturity and grace by Gul Panag) heads on a mission impossible to find Meera (Ayesha Takia) who has been widowed when her husband dies of an accident in Saudi Arabia. However the dor or the link is that Zeenat's husband Amir was his roommate and had a hand in his death while it not being intentional. In Saudi, Amir has been sentenced to death and only the wife of the deceased by providing a pardon to the accused can allow amir to walk free. Zeeant comes to Rajasthan where in an oppressive haveli, meera has begun the live of a condemnation.

Enroute Zeenat finds an unlikely good Samaritan in a trickster come mimic played once again adorably by Shreyas Talpade with consummate ease. He guides her to Jodhpur where they zero in on the haveli where meera resides.A beautiful friendship starts to build between the women who met at a desolate temple every evening. The moment of truth is however around the corner and cannot be escaped. With this haunting dilemma facing zeenat, we head into the last half hour of the movie simply feeling for these lives. That i feel is where Nagesh has also got the viewer into the dor. Kudos to Nagesh and some truly sincere performances by Ayesha Takia, Gul Panag (she deserves better projects) and Shreyas Talpade. Support roles are equally well cast. Akin to the movie paheli, rajasthan in the hands of a skilled cinematographer becomes a land of magical colours and breathes life as a canvass. Enjoy this movie alone in your world or with a loved one.

Joyful subjugation to soaring emancipation

[WWmoviejunkie · 6/10 · 23 January 2018]

Adapted from Malayalam film, Razzaq's,'Perumazhakalam' ( Monsoon season ), this beautifully shot movie is set with arid & beautiful Rajasthan as the backdrop .

Zeenat ( Gul Panag ) , a self-reliant Muslim lady, travels from Himachal Pradesh to Rajasthan on a desperate mission to get Meera ( Ayesha Takia ) a cloistered Hindu-haveli-bahu , to sign a ' maafinaama ' that will stay her husband's execution in the Middle East .

Zeenat is so tranquil that her composure belies her precarious situation while newly-widowed Meera flits around in the background of her in-laws' haveli like a fragile shadow .

Apart from the major themes of forgiveness , friendship & other philosophies , the most riveting one was of the dark tentacles of exploitation creeping up around a financially dependant widow , illustrated by Meera's father-in-law, Raghubir ( Girish Karnad ) , a seemingly dignified , mustachioed patriarch, who , inspite of all his external appearances turns out to be a weak , sleazy man who secretly agrees to barter the lovely Meera to lascivious factory owner Chopra ( Nagesh Kuknoor ) for financial recompense .

One of the most arresting scenes was of Raghubir seizing Meera by her elbow , who inspite of her vulnerability & powerlessness , calmly orders Raghubir to let go of her arm since she granted the right to touch , only to his son , ( her dead husband ) & not to Raghubir .

Apart from Ayesha Takia's fragile-as-dried-rose-petals & yet hard-as-crystal, portrayal of Meera & Gul Panag's self - reliant yet vulnerable grace of Zeenat , other notable roles are rendered by Uttara Baokar ( the widowed Dadima ) & Shreyas Talpade, a charming, petty thief who accompanies Zeenat on her journey.

A poetic & moving film.

Good inspirational movie

[yoga_freek · 8/10 · 27 September 2006]

The story and the direction of the movie is awesome.

The male actor has done well.

Both the actresses looked immature and need to improve their acting standards, but because their characters were great,they looked good.

Best part of the movie was the story itself.

Nagesh has done well to take out the best from both actresses but it wasn't enough.

MOvie could have been a super hit if Nagesh would have taken Rani instead of Ayesha and Kajol instead of Gul.

Both the female actresses have got to learn a lot.

Few songs were really good.

Overall this is a good inspirational movie.

Amazing script and direction

[sourabhkothari · 7/10 · 9 May 2007]

Nagesh Kukunoor impresses once again with a different script. He is one man in bollywood who is fast learning the tricks of trade and coming out with low budget money spinners. Gul Panag, Ayesha Takia and Shreyash give powerhouse performances, although nagesh would have done better without acting. It has nice music and visuals which keeps you going. The film start rather slowly but gets interesting after initial 30 minutes. At times the movie lacks pace and sometimes the script is not convincing otherwise the movie would have appealed to a much wider audience. Recommended if you are into the so called 'off beat' cinema in Indian Films.

Watch at your own risk !!!

[theflyingkite · 4/10 · 12 October 2006]

The main plot of the movie is a take off of Perumazhakkalam (Malayalam) directed by Kamal. Simply putting it this movie is not worth it. The scenes between Gul Panag and her lover is just too unnatural and badly acted out. There are many a scenes where Nagesh Kukunoor has taken the scenes just for the sake of it and no work put to it. It made me loose interest in the film.

The acting of Gul Panag is just too bad. She has made sure no expressions come to her face whatsoever. I must say that Ayesha Takia has done a decent job when compared to Gul Panag. Shreyas Talpade has done a really nice job as the comic relief.

The photography of the movie is very good. Rajasthan has been wonderfully photographed.

At the end of the day what really kills the movie is its ending which may insult some people's intelligence and Gul's miserably failed attempt at acting.

My Rating: 4/10

Brilliantly done. Nageesh proves it again

[bobby-thomas-2 · 9/10 · 17 May 2007]

Nageesh has proved it again. This is an amazing movie with the right mix of all emotions and a powerful social message. An amazing concoction with well done humor and a very powerful message. The movie is about two distant women (both literally and figuratively) brought together because of circumstances and how their personalities influence each other. Talpade("bahroopiya")seems to have grown with every role he has been cast in (remember Iqbal). I think the brilliance is how Nageesh has brought forward a very important social issue of how women esp.widows are treated. He has kept it subtle, almost subliminal, in a way that the movie wasn't categorized as an 'artsy' flick. His choice of cast(not only the lead cast but esp.Talpade) is great again. He is proving to be a very talented Director. Well Done !!!