Fiza

If being a Bollywood hunk and becoming a role model for millions of young men were a test, then Hrithik has passed it with flying colours.

HIS second film showcases not just his muscles and good looks, but his histrionics as well. Although a completely different genre from his debut (Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai), Hrithik proves with Fiza that he is not a one-hit wonder. However, his co-stars manage to steal their own share of the glory: Jaya Bachchan and Karisma Kapoor deliver powerful, hard-hitting performances, and Khalid Mohammed’s directorial debut is as thought provoking and heart wrenching as you could wish it to be.

Fiza is a Muslim girl played by Karisma Kapoor who lives happily with her mother (Jaya Bachchan) and brother Amaan (Hrithik Roshan). However, their idyllic world is shattered when Hindu-Muslim riots break out and Amaan’s friends call on him for help. As his mother and sister watch helplessly, Amaan is caught up in the senseless bloodshed and disappears.

Six years pass but Fiza and her mother continue to believe Amaan is alive. Obsessed, Fiza sets out to find Amaan. During the course of her investigations, she stumbles across a photograph of a terrorist who resembles her brother and her search takes on a new fervour.

But even if she does find him you sense that all is not saved. Life has led Amaan far away from his family, his duties and made him a different person who has lost his innocence. Can he retrace his steps and go back to being the same son and brother he once was? Can the memories of that fateful night be washed away? Can life be the same again?

Other parts are played by model Bikram Saluja and the pretty Isha Koppikar who are both wasted in fairly non significant roles. Kareeb actress Neha plays Hrithik’s love interest but her role is relegated to short flashbacks. In a story pretty much devoid of any glitter, Sushmita Sen’s sexy dance number is the only sizzler in this otherwise dark film. Manoj Bajpai stands out (as always) in a guest appearance and Asha Sachdev provides some comic relief.

Fiza is a definite must see; at times sad, it is consistently honest with award winning performances from Karisma Kapoor and Jaya Bachchan. Hrithik Roshan touches a nerve with his sincerity, and critics waiting to write off this muscle man as just a pretty face better think twice!