Kasoor (2001) Poster

(2001)

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7/10
The guilt of mixing personal and professional lives
jmathur_swayamprabha3 April 2011
Kasoor (guilt) is a movie from the Bhatt camp of bollywood who shamelessly steals stories from the Hollywood movies and put them before the ignorant Indian audience by Indianizing their milieu and characters. Kasoor (2001) is one such movie only which is a clear-cut rip off from the Hollywood thriller, Jagged Edge (1985). However the movie is well-made and entertaining right from the start to the finish.

This is the story of a young and gorgeous female lawyer who is trapped by a criminal through his sweet talks and fake love. The emotional lady, working in good faith, and fascinated by the charms of the cunning criminal, commits the error of mixing her personal life with the professional one, falls into the love of the prince-charming who has been charged for the murder of his wife and quite naturally, performs the job of his defence lawyer, not by her brains but by her heart, seeking wholehearted help of her best buddy and finally gets her lover-cum-client acquitted. The truth comes out before her afterwards only.

I do not put this movie into the mystery genre because there is little doubt about at least the identity of the murderer. Instead, I put it under the category of court-room dramas because it's the scenes of the court-room only which make the movie a thoroughly interesting and entertaining one and keep the viewer glued to the screen throughout. The entry and exit of different supporting characters in the court-room drama add spice to it. Since the central character of the movie is an emotional lady who can be won over by passionate love, there is ample doz of romance and emotions too for the viewers.

Mahesh Bhatt, the writer (?) and Vikram Bhatt, the director have adapted the plot of Jagged Edge quite skillfully for the Indian audience. They have been ably supported by the cinematographer (Praveen Bhatt), the dialogue-writer (Girish Dhamija) and the performers.

Lisa Ray's dialogues have been dubbed in the voice of someone else, but this gorgeous lady has infused life into the role of the intelligent but emotional lady-lawyer whose sentiments make her err. Aftab Shivdasani has done the job of the accused quite admirably and at least in the scenes filled with love and delicate sentiments, he is just superb. Apoorva Agnihotri has underplayed the role of the heroine's best pal, nicely. In the movies of Bhatt Camp, the supporting cast is more or less the same (like permanent labourers) and they perform according to the need of the plot and as instructed by the director. However, Ashutosh Rana stands out with his first rate performance in the role of the investigating officer. In fact, the first 30-40 minutes of the movie belong to him only and it's his performance which makes the viewer to go through the rest of the movie.

Nadeem-Shravan did not get any award for the music of this movie which is definitely an injustice to them because the music (containing the very very meaningful and touching lyrics of Sameer) is soul-comforting and memorable. The album contains six songs and all six are excellent (the first two being outstanding in my opinion) - 1. Kitni Bechain Hoke Tumse Mili, 2. Jo Meri Rooh Ko Chain De Pyar De, 3. Kal Raat Ho Gayi Mulaqaat Ho Gayi, 4, Dil Mera Tod Diya Usne Bura Kyun Manoon, 5. Mohabbat Ho Na Jaaye, 6. Koi To Saathi Chaahiye. If not for the story, the movie can be watched for the songs themselves.

I had watched this movie in the year of its release, i.e., 2001 and recently I watched it again on internet. The viewers who have not seen Jagged Edge, will find it quite interesting. And even if you have watched the Hollywood movie but you are a melody lover and like high-intensity court-room dramas (like me), you will find this watch a satisfactory one for sure.
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4/10
The blatant plagiarism is the real fault (Kasoor).
Fella_shibby25 October 2021
I first saw this in 2001 in a theatre and was awestruck at the plagiarism cos i went to see this without knowing that its a blatant rip off of Jagged Edge.

Revisited it recently on a fast forward mode.

One of the thing i liked in this one is the hot babe Lisa Ray.

Another striking thing which they did good in this version is that at least the lead character (Lisa Ray) calls up the police aft discovering the typewriter whereas in the original, the lead character (Glenn Close) never calls up the police but both the versions have that typical poetic justice/end.
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10/10
the best thriller by Vikram Bhatt
anjshaik12 January 2006
Vikram Bhatt is a genius his directing skills are wonderful and he really knows how to get his scriptwriters Mahesh Bhatt is awesome and the dialogues delivered by Girish Dhamija for Ashutosh Rana are simply wonderful the songs by Nadeem-Shravan are out of this world especially "Kitna behchan hoke" so beautifully sung i loved this thriller in every way and nowadays even though Vikram Bhatt is making crappy movies but you have to appreciate him for the thrillers he made 5 years ago like Raaz and Dastak even though he makes crappy movies like Elaan and worst of them all Jurm he was still a good thriller and has talent to make these types of thrillers he just needs to give them a different genre that's all they'll be good and people will just say that's another Vikrsm Bhatt movie but at least they'll look at it as if it were a different movie Kasoor was amazing and well more movies like these should be made often
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4/10
not original
nasirsalman200020 December 2005
before i watched this movie everyone told me its an original story that bollywood has come up with. so i thought it must be quite good the way people were going on about it. so thats when i decided to watch it.

as the movie opened with the murder of a rich man's wife and Aftab being the main suspect ad he hires Lisa Raye to be his lawyer ho falls in love with him, i realised where this film was copied from.

It was a ditto copy of the Hollywood movie "Jagged Edge" starring Jeff Bridges and Glenn Close. I watched it till the end and then thought can bollywood ever come up with an original storyline this good???

One good recommended film has to be i'll say Footpath, when i saw it i was amazed by the story, the sets and the acting as it was directed by the same director of Kasoor.
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8/10
The Bhatts best rip-off to date.
ChiBron25 June 2006
Mahesh(writer) and Vikram(director) Bhatt are well known for ripping off Hollywood movies and turning 'em into Bollywood crap. Kasoor, to date, remains the only exception. Now here's a "suspense thriller" that actually is pretty suspenseful and keeps you guessing till the end. There are subtly laid clues and misdirection throughout the reel that makes the end result so satisfying(even if you've seen the multiple Hollwyood movies Kasoor has been ripped off of). One thing that really stands out abt this movie to me is how there are no "good" guys. Everybody is gray and this enhances our impressions of the world being depicted. The Bhatts honestly deserve a pat on their back for writing such believable characters.

Kasoor's great script is well supported by the strong star cast. Aftab, IMO, has never given a better performance. His character requires him to be charming, lustful, sympathetic, innocent and even ruthless and Aftab comfortably gets across the required emotions. Lisa Ray, mesmerisingly beautiful&hot she obviously is, gives a very sincere performance. Her character requires her to do a lot of reacting and I thought her facial expressions and body language were bang-on!(a pity she doesn't do Bollywood movies). The supporting cast does a fine job. Special mention should go to Ashutosh Rana as the Aftab/Lisa-hating cop who'll do anything to nail his suspects. One of the most enjoyable actors to watch on screen. I've no clue Y he doesn't do more movies. Irfan Khan as the public prosecutor is reliable as ever. Apoorva Agnihotri is decent.

My final judgement of Kasoor is that it's a surprisingly good movie with a 'different' story(for Bollywood), good performances and a controlled directorial effort from Vikram Bhatt. What more do you want?
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Iz cooooool
Hala-423 July 2001
Kasoor is a step outside the norm for the hindi film indusrty. Refreshingly intelligent and beautifully directed Kasoor is a must see movie. Excellent acting from both leads who were both relatively new to Bollywood. The suspense was intense as was the character portrayed by Aaftab Shivdassani. Liza Ray's voice seems a bit awkward but her acting make up for it. The musical score was surprisingly different. The tracks were different from the usual romantic ballads. The atmosphere of professionalism is apparent. The movie is better suited for viewers with refined tastes as this movie is more subtle than the average hindi flick. A thriller to the last second people who don't usually like Indian movies will like this one.
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1/10
Tear it up!!
samar_bansal7 February 2001
One of the worst movies i've seen in a very long time... nonexistent script, contrived acting, bad lighting, music that seems to encompass the worst of the early 90's, and to top it all of the darn thing is 3 hours long!! Ashutosh Rana is the only redeeming feature of the entire film, Irfan Khan as the Public prosecutor is also good, but Lisa Ray should either go back to modelling or consider an alternate career that involves no speech whatsoever, and minimal emotional content. At the end of it, the only thing you're left asking yourself is, what was your Kasoor ('Fault' in Hindi) that you had to sit through 3 hours of such mindless drivel.
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10/10
I watched this Movie 20 Years after its release & I feel this movie is AWESOME.
jaimishra28 September 2020
VIKRAM BHATT if you are reading this, please make more & more movies like Kasoor.

The movie's tone/environment was so gooood. I felt like I lived a another life watching this movie.

The songs are soo much pleasurable to ears that I couldn't skip them. I skipped only the first song of the movie.

The movie is aesthetic. I loved the direction, the romantic direction of the movie, the scenery which is shown, everything.

Hope there are more movies like this in old Bollywood.

Do watch it if you haven't till date.
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8/10
A good romantic,musical thriller from the Bhatt Camp...surely one of their better offerings...don't miss this one!
prasenjit-unique12 October 2010
Well, to start off I really enjoyed this movie...coz I like thrillers,with good music and romance intertwined...and Kasoor scores in all three areas...the movie is certainly NOT original,but who cares? It blends all the ingredients of a Bollywood movie, with fine performances from all actors...Lisa Ray(though her voice is dubbed)looks convincing and beautiful at the same time...she is sure to remain in the minds and hearts of all youngsters,courtesy Kasoor. Aftab is surprisingly good too, and enacts his role to the T. Wonder what's happened to him off late? He brings out the soft spoken,romantic expressions with that deceptive hue to his character with elan. In supporting roles,Irrfan and Ashutosh Rana are good as usual.

Where Kasoor beats the other regular Bollywood thrillers is that it manages to hold the suspense till the end...the hints and clues are subtly,deftly woven into the storytelling without going over the top. It sure drags on in the middle with the court sequences,and could have beeen curtailed by 20 mins or so. But hey, who's expecting flawlessness like say Christopher Nolan?

Music is really impressive, the romantic tracks are sure to keep you humming hours after you've watched it!

All in all. a good entertainer...so go for it!
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9/10
First rate movie
lornes12 November 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Almost anything you say here is a spoiler because of how the movie switches gears and cleverly keeps you guessing, if you have not seen the original, which I had not.

Just watched a documentary on how the early 70s revolution in American film, Scorcese, Coppola etc. contained a lot of material pulled directly from earlier film, French new wave, Hitchcock etc.. Though derivative it hailed a new freedom for filmmakers from the studio formulae, The filmmakers matured and developed their own style and images etc. as time passed. So copying is a good thing, especially in the early stages of a creative revolution, and this film is a wonderful and rich ride with many many echoes of Hichcock, Orson Welles (Touch of Evil's repellent but fascinating cop), and even Coen Brothers crime films (eg Blood Simple).
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10/10
Exellent movie
harinkhatri-8065118 May 2020
Must watch thrillar suspense music songs everything is superb..
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8/10
Superb
mridulm8411 February 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Over the years the BHATT'S are making various films which are either totally or partially copied from Hollywood films. KASOOR is no exception in that trend.

The films starts with a brutal murder of a lady by a knife by a hooded man. This lady is a rich tycoon Preiti Saxena. Police thought it is a straight forward case and they arrest Shekhar Saxena(Aftab). He himself is injured and claimed himself innocent. He hires a lawyer Priya(Lisa Ray) who herself is disturbed. Eventually she takes the case and believes that Shekhar is not guilty. They also fall in love. But the ultimate question is who is the killer and the motive behind the murder forms the crux of the story.

Though copied from JAGGED EDGE, the film has its own grips well. It is a edge-of-the-seat thriller with a flavour of romance and drama too which blend well. Screenplay is right and direction too is job well done. Music is definitely superb. Acting is also very good.

Overall KASOOR is a worth-watching thriller.
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9/10
I loved it
sweetrupturedlight21 February 2002
Commenting on this movie is a funny experience for me, cause i get the impression from earlier comments that people either loved or hated Kasoor. I loved it. The story was basic, a thriller, and i have to admit that the story was lost somewhere along the line, as we are thrown head-first into a romance, but if you're a romantic like me, WHO CARES RIGHT? Aftab was amazing in this movie, proving that he can indeed hold his own in a feature, while looking delectable and so MATURE! Lisa Ray was a bit weak, but despite that the two have amazing chemistry. This movie will never win an award for originality, but for shear enjoyment, i give it a 10. You love soppy stuff? You'll love Kasoor - and as an added bonus, the music was great too!
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Not bad at all
kuchhal10 December 2001
A refreshing departure from the usual run of the mill bollywood stuff this movie is worth watching at least once. Although blatantly copied from its Hollywood version "Jagged Edge"(upto the character 't' of typewriter), this movie doesn't sound too far fetched even in Indian context. Lisa Ray has done well as a progressive lawyer considering this was her first film. Ashutosh Rana as usual was brilliant. Even Aftab was able to pass muster though just barely. Overall if you don't have to have usual latka-jhatkas to enjoy a bollywood movie don't let this one passby.
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10/10
A Very Beautiful Movie
MehdiRizvi-78672 July 2022
Kasoor (2000-2001) is a great film having the plot revolving around the a murder case and finally ending in the death of the murderer( Shekhar ) who happens to be the husband of the person murdered ( Priti or Preeti ) .The plot also features a love story leading to a break up however at the end . It casts Aftab Shivdasani , Lisa Raya and Apurva Agnihotri in the lead roles . Though critically the ending of the case has some defects but it has all the qualities to attract a guy looking for a thriller . Last but not the least the music album of the film is absolutely a materpiece in true sense composed by legendary Nadeem-Shravan duo and sung by legends of playback music Kumar Sanu , Alka Yagnik and Udit Narayan . To be very honest the music of the film marked an era during its time( the 2000s ) and continued the trend of making 'good music' in India after the decade of the 90s . Lastly , who ever reads my review this is a request from this side to listen to good music and not what is going on the name of music now-a-days(sex , vulgarity , one-word lyrics and etc )
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A mediocre remake of the Hollywood thriller 'Jagged Edge'
jahangirhussain7430 June 2010
'Kasoor' is the latest movie from the Bhatt camp and is the remake of the 1985 Hollywood thriller 'Jagged Edge' like most of Vikram Bhatt's movies. Surprisingly, 'Kasoor' is a mediocre remake of 'Jagged Edge' if not very bad.

Aftab Shivdasani plays the role that Jeff Bridges plays in the original of a scheming husband and Lisa Ray plays the role of Glenn Close in the original, and that of a lawyer. Aftab and Lisa were pretty good in their acting. Lisa was superb especially in the courtroom sequences. But sadly, Lisa Ray was dubbed by Divya Dutta who also has a guest appearance in the movie. Apoorva Agnihotri had nothing to do. Ashutosh Rana and Irrfan Khan were okay. Vishwajeet Pradhan and Sucheta Pausche were adequate.

'Kasoor' scores well in the music department. 'Zindagi Ban Gaye Ho Tum' being the best track in the whole film. Cinematography could've been better, especially during the coutroom sequences. Editing seemed slow and boring. Direction was pretty good. Watch it if you want a chill down your spine.
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