Moviecut—Sur: The Melody of Life

Both movie and songs are good and impressive It gives very good message

That's the movie for you. I always admired music of this movie but never got a chance to watch it. I watched it today and regrated why I missed this for so many years. That's a brilliant piece of work by Tanuja Chandra, topped up by great Nida Fazli lyrics and another great M. M. Kreem scores. Lucky Ali always had his limitations but here, he is unbelievable, I never expected such a refined performance from him. Gauri Karnik got her opportunity but failed. Other artists supported well. This movie definitely deserves a watch.

Protagonist - Antagonist. Lucky Ali plays both, swinging from one to the other with subtlety. Is this some typical Bollywood (hate that term....) "hero" - "anti hero" spiel? On the contrary, this is a rather sensitive portrayal of human self deception. Lucky Ali, on his self serving "humble" quest to share his musical knowledge and talent with an aspiring singer before his retirement from the world of music, unwittingly takes on a protégée whose talents, even in their most raw form, surpass his own. The film then bares the darkness prevalent in every human psyche (even if it is the most accomplished artiste) , when the teacher struggles to beat his own student, failing at every attempt and yet learning some very valuable lessons along the way. This film has the "feel" of a low budget movie. But once you get over that, this film is definitely a good watch. Go right ahead and watch it.....

I am still in awe of the realism and heart-touching emotions portrayed in this movie! Absolutely stunning! Lucky Ali portrayed the restless music teacher with more than just a tinge of jealousy in him to perfection. Gauri was great, reminding me of a Kajol/Kangana hybrid with great emoting and acting ability. I am a teacher myself, and the final few dialogues from Ali regarding teachers being kingmakers, and not kings themselves, hit home pretty succinctly. I had tears well up in my eyes at various points throughout the movie, and the portrayal of frail human emotions and insecurities was beautifully done. The music is soul- touching and melodious. Who can forget the timeless classic' Aa Bhi Ja" from Lucky Ali and the female singer? A Must-watch!

If there is heaven on Earth, it must be Ooty,or Ootacamund, a hill station close to Bangalore considered the Air-conditioned City. Raj Kapoor, shot the picnic scene and the song "Oh Mehbooba-Oh Mehbooba" with the threesome in the dew-filled lake, forty-long years ago. Recently one of the recent best thriller "Raaz" was shot there. Now comes "Sur" where the beauty of this enchanting land is caught in Eastman colour. The CD is a must for collectors of film music since Maestro Kreem, has composed one of the best duets (Aabhi-Ja) from a Hindi film after "Barsaat"(Ye Raat Beeghi Beeghi) and "Hum Dono" (Abhi Na Jaao) This movie has a feeling of "Sound of Music" to it mainly because of the location, Cinematography and the Music. The new entrant has a long way to go achieve Stardom. Where as Lucky Ali though impressive is better off keeping his day job as a Singer and Composer.The direction of Tanuja Chandra is choppy and wanting at times, but I feel her real flaw was in the Casting. She needs some Casting lessons from Aparna Sen "Mr&Mrs Iyer". I enjoyed this movie even though this was considered a flop commercially, I will look forward to Tanuja Chandra's future endeavors since anyone who has a keen taste in music and trust in Musical Director in the caliber of M.M. Kreem cannot be written off easy.

One of its kind, best story, songs, actors' performance. Very underrated art evergreen movie. Teacher - student relation and Jealousy showed in a new angle . Must watch. Every song is so passionate and beautiful meaningful lyrics. It has been 20 years to this masterpiece still no other movie has been made quite like it or even on subject near it. One of its kind, best story, songs, actors' performance. Very underrated art evergreen movie. Teacher - student relation and Jealousy showed in a new angle . Must watch. Every song is so passionate and beautiful meaningful lyrics. It has been 20 years to this masterpiece still no other movie has been made quite like it or even on subject near it.

The first thing I would like to mention is that half the stars that I have given are for the music itself. It has taken the movie halfway. Hats off to the legendary MM Kreem for his passionate music in the film. Coming to the film now, Tanuja Chandra attempts well to bring out the life stirring impact of a mentor on a mentee, his encouragement can unleash all the hidden potential in her whereas his criticism can lead her to abandon her talent forever. The thought is good, but the execution is quite poor. My biggest objection to the film is the character of the protagonist. It seems that she is out there to be abused, for she actually degrades herself after the abuse she faces from her mentor. Her sister played by Divya Dutta, showcases much more grit here. The mentor's character is not very likable either. He is unstable, perhaps the cliché 'good of heart' guy, which is poorly portrayed in the film as a man who jumps from one extreme to another for no apparent reason. The plot could have been much better if there was more reality into it, and if everyone and everything did not fall in place as if divinity were the aim of life. The unnecessary overtone of a love story could have been totally avoided, too. Performance-wise, Lucky Ali is quite good, though I appreciate his singing more than his acting. He could have done better on the lighter scenes. Gauri Karnik is pretty irritating to be honest, with her childish expressions. Maybe it works given the demand of the character, but a little more effort would have helped. Divya Dutt, Achint Kaur and Simone Singh are mostly wasted though they all give good performances. Kudos to girl power. Lot of well-intentioned movies get lost in their own process. Sur, is sadly one of them. The music is timeless, though.

Tanuja Chandra is back after showing her directorial skills in Dushman and Sangharsh, this time she chooses a more original topic... that of a teacher and a student and how the student's success makes the teacher jealous. Lucky Ali, as the music teacher gives a power-packed polished performance... but hey after all he's Mahmood's son Gauri Karnik is another performance to watch out for... all the people: Simone Singh, Achint Kaur, Ehsan Khan, Harsh Vasisht and Divya Dutta give excellent performances. The movie just touches your heart and you can't help but watch it again. 60% of the movie's credit goes to the genius composer, M.M. Kreem (Zakhm, Jism, Criminal) who yet again delivers... and what compositions! All the tracks are brilliant with "Aa Bhi Jaa" needing special mention... Overall a film you must experience.... Simple and straight from the heart!

"Sur" is the story of a famous musician who looks for a successor and finds one in a young girl who sings like an angel. I've read a lot of good reviews about the movie and how it is a "different sort" of Bollywood movie. Well, that might be true, but I still didn't find it particularly gripping. Don't get me wrong, I thought it had nice music, very good actors and an acceptable running time. It was really enjoyable. But nothing spectacular. First of all, its direction is average. The director used a lot of filters which make the film look like a soft * movie from the late 70's / early 80's. Those filters are utterly useless in this movie. The visuals undermine the sincerity of the plot. There was only one scene that I thought was well lit and filmed, and that was Lucky Alis first big song number where he sings on a boat. The rest was mediocre at best. Also, the plot is far from revolutionary. The approach to the love story (if you want to call it that) might be unusual, but come on - if that's a revolution in Bollywood cinema, I will be happy with the pre-revolution situation. Till then, I'm waiting for the next one. Might that be a true one. "Sur" - rating: 7/10