Definitely Nagesh Kukunoor's best effort to date.
Frankly i went in expecting another average fare from Nagesh, cos i havent liked his earlier films. I thought Hyderabad Blues was hugely hyped, not to mention shoddy. Rockford was a good idea gone horribly wrong and the only reason i sat through Bollywood calling was Om Puri (outstanding).
With this background i set out to catch 3 Deewarein. Actually the glowing reviews (which as an afterthought i think were completely justified)pushed me further towards the theatre. Not to mention Juhi Chawla who i have always believed is one of our most underrated actresses. And what an experience it was!
3 deewarein is a very good film. Why? Let me give you 2 reasons:
1. The script is near to brilliant. Though the narrative is slow paced, your interest never wanes. The story unfolds slow and leads to a mind-blowing climax. Least expected but a shocker of a climax. Like my buddy aptly described it - super wicked cool!
2. Performances, every actor is amazing. While its expected that Naseer will shine (he doesnt disappoint one bit!) its Jackie Shroff and Juhi Chawla who take you by surprise. Jackie is subdued and puts in a very restrained performance. Juhi Chawla is splendid. With minimal makeup and looking absolutely fresh, she puts in a career best effort here. Check her out in two scenes: The first when she gently threatens the hell out of her abusive husband and the other when she tells Ishaan (Naseer's character) that she may be in love with him. Kukunoor himself is a good actor, but he is a better director. Special mention to Bad man Gulshan Grover who puts in a good man performance here.
So if you are looking for a well directed film with a strong story and a couple of good performances, 3 deewarein is the one!