Aamir (film)

Aamir
Promotional poster for Aamir
Directed by	Raj Kumar Gupta
Produced by	Ronnie Screwvala
Written by	Raj Kumar Gupta
Starring	Rajeev Khandelwal Gajraj Rao
Music by	Amit Trivedi
Cinematography	Alphonse Roy
Edited by	Aarti Bajaj
Production company	UTV Motion Pictures
Distributed by	UTV Motion Pictures
Release dates	6 June 2008 (2008-06-06)
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Budget	₹2 crore (US$300,000)
Box office	₹14 crore (US$2.1 million)

Aamir (Hindi: आमिर) is a 2008 Indian psychological crime thriller film directed by Raj Kumar Gupta and starring Rajeev Khandelwal. The story revolves around a young Muslim man, Dr. Aamir Ali (Rajeev Khandelwal), who has returned to Mumbai from the United Kingdom and finds himself at the mercy of Islamic extremists who want to carry out a bombing in the city. Its plot is similar to the 2005 Filipino film Cavite.

Plot

The film begins with Dr. Aamir Ali (Rajeev Khandelwal) returning to Mumbai on vacation. Upon arrival at the airport, an unknown person hands him a cellphone. The caller asks him to follow instructions. Though initially reluctant, he sees a video in the phone and realizes that his family has been kidnapped. Not sure what to do, he hesitantly agrees to follow the instructions when told that his family will be released if he does so.

The instructor asks Aamir Ali to think of Islam and wants him to do something for his religion rather than work and live in a foreign country. He is then made to go a hotel, where he is given an address. From there, he goes to a PCO and calls an anonymous number, which is in Pakistan. He is asked to stay in a lodge, where a lame man asks him to follow him. Aamir is then led to a house where he is given a red briefcase. Initially thinking the briefcase is a bomb, he opens it and finds that it is full of money. From the lodge, he is asked to catch a particular bus at a designated time.

He leaves to catch the bus, but on the way his briefcase gets stolen. Realizing that the only way to save his family is to get back the briefcase, he enlists the help of a prostitute whom he met at the lodge. After finding the place, he fights back and takes the briefcase. He then hurries to catch the bus. Once inside the bus, he is told to put the briefcase underneath his seat and leave. Aamir now realizes that his briefcase has been switched. Instead of money, they have put a bomb inside it. He begins to hallucinate and boards the bus once again, taking the briefcase. He then clears an area asking everyone to stay clear by saying he has a bomb in his hands. He holds on to the briefcase tightly and begins to think of his family. The bomb blasts, killing Aamir.

The antagonist who instructs him to do this weeps upon hearing his plan of creating a terrorist has been ruined. The film ends with a reporter reporting live from the spot, saying "A terrorist was killed in a bomb attack. But why he decided to kill only himself is unknown."

Production

The movie was released on 6 June alongside the Ram Gopal Varma-directed Sarkar Raj. Shot on a budget of ₹20 million (US$300,000), Aamir is a thriller set in the streets of Mumbai. Aamir is also the debut film of its lead actor, cinematographer, music director and the producer UTV Spotboy. The tagline of the film is "Kaun Kehta Hai Aadmi Apni Kismat Khud Likhta Hai?" ("Who says a man writes his own destiny?")

Reception

Aamir got a positive response from critics and audience. Raj Kumar Gupta was commended for his fine directorial work. Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN praised the film's tight script and direction, while Raja Sen of Rediff praised its realism, cinematography and music. Other reviews were also mostly positive. Reviewer at VjMOVIEws noted that, "Aamir is a part of such breed of Bollywood movies which never garners the limelight of cinema but still manages to carve a niche for them."

The film had a weak opening due to the new names involved and its storyline but gained widespread word of mouth publicity. It ended up doing good business with good collection in subsequent weeks.

Music

Aamir
Soundtrack album by Amit Trivedi
Released	2008
Recorded	2008
Genre	Feature film soundtrack
Label	Sony BMG
Producer	Amit Trivedi

The album contains six tracks composed by Amit Trivedi, lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya, including one instrumental played by Marianne D’Cruz Aiman and Jeetendra Thakur, four bonus tracks from Khuda Kay Liye and two songs from Kailash Kher. The music was well received; Joginder Tuteja from indiaFM gave the film's soundtrack 2.5 out of 5 stars.

1. "Ha Raham (Mehfuz)" – Murtuza-Qadir, Amitabh and Amit Trivedi
2. "Chakkar Ghumyo" – Amit Trivedi
3. "Haara" – Amit Trivedi
4. "Phas Gaya (Never Mind)" – Neuman Pinto
5. "Ek Lau" – Shilpa Rao and Amitabh

Bonus tracks

1. "Allah Hoo" – Khuda Kay Liye
2. "Dilruba" – Kailash Kher
3. "Bandya" – Khuda Kay Liye
4. "Chaap Tilak" – Kailash Kher

The background score for the opening credits is the Peggy Lee song "It's a Good Day". The rights to the song were obtained for ₹800,000 (US$12,000).

References

Karen Gabriel, 'The Country in the City: The Bye-lanes of Identity', in South Asian Journal, July–Sept 2010, pp 53–64.

External links

• Aamir at IMDb