Until the interval, the film was slowly boiling but felt like something was missing. But a powerful scene just before the interval explained the whole film in a go. Sehmat undresses herself after a killing, stands under the shower and cries - the cries crack up the heart. One surrenders to the nation irrespective of the in-depth emotions, until Raazi came up the films relied more on nation. But, Meghna Gulzar proves, Emotion is greater than Nation.
The complex nature of the film might come across as a defect, beneath the surface the heart is rapidly beating and the conflicts underline every character. The borders cease to exist, writers Bhavani Iyer and Meghna Gulzar team up to built a strong sense of emotional play. And this is just what I always expected from a war-torn film. The dynamics of "Ae Watan" play in context to both the countries, there's no hero or villain - humanity is. Bollywood has often patronised the term "patriotism", Raazi steps beyond it by taking up the humanistic approach brilliantly. And then, the following dialogue works as a paradox- "Watan Ke Aage Kuch Bhi Nahi, Mohabbat Bhi Nahi (there's nothing beyond a nation, not even love)", says Iqbal Syed.
Sehmat played by Alia Bhatt carves into emotion during the shower scene, often her anxiety comes across childish which just stands as a mould. Watching the film with a peaceful mind might help to digest the thought properly, and I guess, our nation needs such a thought owing to the present "nationalist" agenda.
