A high-class person falling for a person from a lower class or another religion altogether always makes for a great story. But when the idea is done to death over a short span of time, it might not make the same impact. Mirza Juuliet comes too late in the day and is an average fare, despite the fact that it has its share of plusses

The story of the movie: Julie (Pia Bajpai) comes from an influential family in Mirzapur and is about to be married to Rajan Pandey (Chandan Roy Sanyal) who belongs to a political family. Everything is going fine and this is when Mirza (Darshan Kumaar) comes into their life. Mirza is Julie’s childhood friend and they both hit it off instantly. When Julie realizes that she loves Mirza and vice versa, things go awry.

Mirza Juuliet begins very well. Julie’s entry is great but Mirza’s entry is even better. The twist in the tale that occurs within 10 minutes of the film takes the film to a high. There’s a lot happening in the first half that keeps viewers beautifully engaged – a high profile murder takes place and the agenda is unknown, a sex maniac can’t wait to jump on the bed with his to-be wife, a band of deadly brothers want to become the masters of a town, a firebrand girl is about to turn into a docile housewife and a mysterious man with a violent past is trying to start a new life but circumstances don’t allow him to do so. And yes, there’s some phone sex happening too! But in the second half, Mirza Juuliet turns into a routine drama. We have already seen the idea of two lovers on the run in movies like Mirzya, Sairat, Ishaqzaade, Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-leela etc. Mirza Juuliet, in this regard, offers nothing new. Although the makers have tried to infuse some drama (the raksha bandhan bit is impressive), it still isn’t enough.

Mirza Juuliet boasts of some fine performances. Darshan Kumaar, till now, has only played supporting parts in films like Mary Kom, NH10, Sarbjit etc but here, he gets to be the ‘hero’ and does very well. He has the looks and the attitude to carry the film on his shoulders. In the beginning scenes he seemed a bit off-track but soon gets in character very well. Pia Bajpai is highly talented and looks very convincing as the rebellious yet kind-hearted Julie. Her dialogue delivery, looks, and performance – everything is just right. Here’s hoping Mirza Juuliet helps her to get noticed and bag bigger films. Priyanshu Chatterjee (Dharam Raj), I believe, plays for the first time a rustic, dangerous goon and he comes out with flying colours. Although he has played different kind of roles in recent times, he’s still known as the sweet, romantic guy from Tum Bin. Mirza Juuliet however proves that if given a chance, he can get into a drastically different territory very well. Chandan Roy Sanyal goes a bit overboard and one might squirm during his scenes but that is the character’s demand. Yet another great job by this talented performer! Yogendra Singh (Nakul) is highly entertaining and leaves a tremendous impact in a supporting role. Hemant Koumar (Bheem) and Swanand Kirkire (Rajan’s father) are okay.

Krsna Solo’s music is okay. Muhabbat Ko Misuse is the most memorable track and is well shot too. Hitesh Sonik’s background score is fair. Ajay Pandey’s cinematography is decent and captures the locales well. Ram Shetty’s action is watchable and doesn’t go over the top. Shanti Bushan’s story is nice initially but ordinary after a point. His dialogues are damn good and sharp. His screenplay, again, doesn’t have the novelty value. Rajesh Ram Singh’s direction is good and handles the plot well. His work would have come out better if the written material wasn’t predictable after a point.

On the whole, Mirza Juuliet begins well, has some great characters and the chemistry between the lead actors is crackling. Performances are good, not just by Darshan Kumaar and Pia Bajpai but also by those in supporting roles like Chandan Roy Sanyal, Priyanshu Chatterjee and Yogendra Singh. Sadly, the film in the second half turns into a routine predictable drama and that’s where the film falters. Average fare!

My rating - ** ½ out of 5!

2 YEAR OLD FILM TO EARN MORE THAN NEW RELEASES THIS WEEK!

With Sarkar 3 pushed ahead, April 7 became kind of a ‘vacant week’ with only small releases hitting the screens – Laali Ki Shaadi Mein Laaddoo Deewana, Mirza Juuliet and Mukti Bhawan. The makers of Baahubali hence made the right decision of making good use of this opportunity. The sequel releases on April 28 and they decided to re-release the first part, initially released in 2015, tomorrow.

The release is decent and pan-India. The Hindi version, when released in 2015, earned Rs 4.25 crore on Day 1 and it won’t be a surprise if a similar figure is achieved tomorrow. More than a decade ago, re-release of films was common and would do phenomenally well. The trend had died but it sees resurgence with Baahubali. If the re-release does well, Baahubali can hang around in theatres until perhaps the release of Baahubali 2 on April 28 and maybe even after that!

Subhash K Jha (DNA; April 3, 2017)

Sex, it seems, is no longer taboo for the Central Board Of Film Certification (CBFC aka the Censor Board). Mirza Juuliet, a rustic and raunchy adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet has the CBFC softening their hard stance on sexual content. The film has been cleared with an ‘A’ certificate.

Says a source close to the film, “The film is set in the North Indian heartland and is quite raw, visually and verbally. The Censor Board has allowed a lot of it (read: cusswords) to remain. Chandan Roy Sanyal plays a horny suitor of the heroine. He is constantly lusting, and in one sequence he is even seen masturbating while calling out her name. Surprisingly, the CBFC has allowed the bold sequence.”

Chandan Roy Sanyal says, “I thought of it a challenge for me as an actor. Surprisingly female audiences who have watched the scene have laughed. My character is so horny all the time, he’s funny. He has the audience in splits. I am surprised that the CBFC didn’t cut out the masturbation scene.”

Censor chief Pahlaj Nihalani says, “We are not prudes. When sex is an integral part of the plot, we allow it. Mirza Juuliet is defined by the politics of violence. We’ve cut as little as possible.”

Ram Gopal Varma’s action thriller Sarkar 3 has been postponed from April 7 to May 12. The decision was announced yesterday (March 21), less than 3 weeks from its initial release. A lot of reasons have been doing the rounds for this step, from delay in post-production to non-payment of dues by Eros International.

The postponement has suddenly left a Friday vacant which we all know is criminal considering the number of clashes that happen in a year. It’s not that there are no other films releasing on April 7. There’s Mirza Juuliet and Laali Ki Shaadi Mein Laaddoo Deewana that will hit screens on the said day but both are very small and carry no buzz. Begum Jaan on the other hand releases on April 14, the same day as The Fate Of The Furious, the 8th part in the highly successful Furious franchise. The previous part in the series, Furious 7, was highly successful in India. It almost reached the 100-crore-mark, although this was more to do with the fact that it was Paul Walker’s last film. Yet, The Fate Of The Furious can still do huge business and might even steal the thunder from Begum Jaan.

Hence, it would be only logical if Bhatts, the producers of Begum Jaan, immediately prepone the release of the film from April 14 to April 7. The move will prove advantageous in every way. Firstly, it will be a solo release (since the other 2 films releasing on April 7 are hardly exciting) and hence can get sufficient amount of screens. There would be no threat from last week’s release (Naam Shabana) as again it’s a small film and is not expected to really rock the box office. The promotions of the film have already started and advancing the release by a week won’t impact hence. Lastly, the film has already received a Censor certificate.

Begum Jaan features Vidya Balan, a highly talented actress but who hasn’t given a commercial hit in 5 years. Begum Jaan trailer has made an impact and the film can turn out to be a decent success, if it releases at an appropriate time. Releasing with The Fate Of The Furious would be a bad idea, especially since the week before is vacant with no major releases. Hope the Bhatts understand this point and do the needful!