Warning: This article contains spoilers. To be read at your own discretion
Cast:Shahid Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Anupam Kher
Director: Pankaj Kapoor
Pankaj Kapoor's 'Mausam' is a romantic story between a Punjabi Harinder Singh aka Harry (Shahid Kapoor), and Kashmiri Muslim girl, Aayat (Sonam Kapoor). The story is set over a ten year period with interupting events of operation Blue star,Babri Masjid destruction, Mumbai bomb blasts, Kargil war, September 11 attacks in US and finally Godhra riots.
The romance lives upto the point of Harry getting letter to join Indian Air force. From this point the film loses its sheen until the air fight scenes that add some charisma. Surely men in uniform do attract a lot of attention :) .The film focuses on how the characters fail to contact each time due to one event or another arriving at the absurd climax of saving from fire the heroine, a horse and a crying child with the weirdest corny lines. We Hope we didn't hear that :)
The principal problem with the movie is that in the interviews the promise of the romance in different stages of life over a period of 10 years like different seasons was indicated as the theme and reason for the title "Mausam". But as a viewer this premise is not delivered which is similar to serving pasta on the promise of ice-cream. Mr. Kapoor as a director disappoints though the other Kapoors score looks wise. The songs are the saving grace and the locations are too good to waste on a story like this. The film is a tad too long and the reasons for the main characters not able to meet are too illogical. Even films in 60s and 70s had a better means of communicating. Way better that people in army had always received letters and have a P.O. box set in their name. The film though has its own loop holes script wise would have been bearable had the pacing been a little good and the foot tappers in middle. The audience certainly doesn't sit for the end credits to roll just for mallo malli number. One wishes it would have been better had ended by intermission.
Watchable elements:
The air fight sequences are good upto the point of Aayat's interruption which had the audience laughing instead of crying.
Sonam and Shahid have good chemistry and equally good looks.
The railway scene and airforce scenes are pretty good.
Avoidable:
The climax.
Sonam's nightmares