“When there is a war raging, it is very difficult to stay out of it, one day the war will get to you.” Some may say that this is a very depressing thought but in today’s day and age when the world is full of such violence and wars of all sorts it comes as a very truthful thought. Summer 2007 carries the message that staying ignorant to the world around you doesn’t make the problems nonexistent. Suhail Tatari brings to the celluloid a much plaguing issue and tries to awaken audiences in the style of Rang De Basanti.
Now Rang De Basanti is one of a kind. Comparing Summer 2007 to this classic is definitely not a great way to start analyzing it. However, we say that he delivers the message with the style of Rang De Basanti because Summer 2007 is much like RDB in that it is the story of a generation that awakens to an issue they didn’t even know existed.
Five medical students of an elite private medical college live the lives of the privileged. Never thinking of anyone but themselves, how this trait got them to choose the medical profession is an unveiled secret. Summer 2007 starts to unfold when the five friends land up in a rural city of Maharashtra to complete one month of rural services as part of their training. They are under the impression that bribery will get them out of the situation and they can simply get a falsely acquired certificate whilst not performing any services and enjoying a month holidaying in Goa. However, life has plans of its own for the friends. Upon arrival they encounter a group of farmers all fighting for their lives after a suicide attempt. The village farmers are at the mercy of the land owners who gave them loans. When the money is not returned things get gruesome. As the story unveils the friends find themselves getting more and more entangled with the problems of the villagers, and eventually they are left with no choice but to join them in their fight.
Summer 2007 is yet again another movie that has a great foundation and potential but suffers from a highly flawed screenplay. The makers try to squeeze in too much unneeded information in the first half and thus audiences find themselves rather bored. A common error in many films, the director simply wants to cover too much. In the busy lives that everyone leads today, no one has the patience nor the time to sit for 3 hours in a cinema hall in which the story doesn’t unfold until a good one and a half our into the movie.
If you’re looking for familiar faces then this is not a movie for you. With the exception of Gul Panag all actors are reasonably new and work hard together to deliver great performances. Sikander Kher makes a very confidant debut. The actor excels in every department and is a natural. Towards the climax, his talent shines even more. We hope this newcomer is here to stay. Uvika Chaudry proves to be more than just a pretty face. The actress excels in her role and delivers a natural performance. Gul Panag, who is the most experienced actor amongst the group, surprisingly doesn’t impress as much. Her dialogue delivery is highly flawed and comes as much of a disappointment. Alekh and Arjan are entertaining in their respected roles. Ashutosh Rana is perfect as usual.
Summer 2007 has a few tracks squeezed into the script that should have never been there. They come as a speed breaker and almost a nuisance when the story is so intense. The subject tackled by the makers is commendable but the poor screenplay has a much drastic effect on the movie as a whole. As does the dialogues in the first half which have too much emphasis on English in order to illustrate the youthfulness in the characters. Again our makers assume that English is stylish and forget that dialogues need to have some length of depth.
On the whole Summer 2007 is a beautiful painting on a canvas that had splatters of acid thrown on it in the form of a very poor screenplay. It is even more disappointing when all the newcomers performed with such conviction. Audiences will most likely not take a liking to this release, especially with biggies like Jaane Tu, Thoda Pyar Thoda Magic and Love Story 2050 around the corner. However, if you’re into witnessing some upcoming talents then the movie is a great watch. One can only wish that the newcomers continue to perform with this much dedication and hopefully their future makers will do much more justice to their talents.
