Sameer movie review: This Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and Anjali Patil starrer is a worthy attempt, but the raw edges show.
Sameer movie cast: Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Anjali Patil, Subrata Datta, Chinmay Mandlekar, Seema Biswas
Sameer movie director: Dakxin Bajrange
Sameer movie rating: 1.5 stars
A blast in a Hyderabad neighbourhood leads to the rounding up of a suspect. His name is Sameer ( Ayyub), and he says he is not a terrorist.
The first feature of documentary filmmaker Dakxin Bajrange is an idea that has been explored before. We are given, in addition to Sameer, who is presumed guilty unless proven otherwise, a tough ATS cop (Datta), a feisty reporter (Patil), and a town under attack.
There is something in this film. A certain knowledge of the area: most of the film is set in Ahmedabad. The idea that, sometimes, terrorists do not spring from the ether; they are born out of circumstances. And a couple of well fleshed out characters, especially that of Sameer. The talented Ayyub, whom we’ve seen earlier this year in Tubelight, makes a meal of his young college student forced into a difficult situation not of his making. And there’s a young character who is oddly affecting, even when you can see where his arc is headed.
But the rest of it is thin and predictable, barring a thread. Even this, the alert viewer can twig on to well in time. Patil’s reporter is exaggerated; so is the cop, though Datta’s innate abilities are never in question.
Worthy attempt, but the raw edges show.
