“Learning to Fly”
Director and music by: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring – Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai, Shernaz Patel, Nafisa Ali & Aditya Roy Kapoor
Ethan Mascarenhas has quadriplegia and relies on Sofia D’Souza for everything. Ethan was once a renowned magician who was known as Merlin but due to an ‘accident’ is left with this condition. Ethan has nothing left to live for and wants to die. Euthanasia is not legal in Goa so on his radio show he starts a petition for ‘Project Ethanasia’. That’s all I can tell you about the plot of the movie.
But I can tell you about everything else.
Let’s start with the small things. The music is by the director himself and what a job he has done. Just a few songs which are mainly used in the background to compliment the visuals. Wonderful. The costumes by Sabyasachi were spot on and suited each and every character and made them look so real.
Aishwarya Rai has admittedly been someone who I have not been a massive fan of but boy have I changed my mind. No one else could have bought the maturity and grace to this role as she did. I commend her for a wonderful job as Ethan’s nurse, for bringing some love and fun into his life. I might start wearing red lipstick now.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali. What a man, what a visionary, what a film! Every aspect of this movie is just quality and class. Nothing has been left untouched by has magic and I was mesmerised from the opening to the closing frame. Apparently Guzaarish hasn’t done well in Asia but I don’t care. Everyone should see this movie as it is what Indian cinema needs to be known for. Classy film making and Guzaarish is a piece of classic and thought provoking film making. After the debacle of Saawariya I had lost some faith. I can say I wasn’t the biggest fan of Devdas and thought his best film was Khamoshi but Guzaarish tops that! The attention to detail even to the smallest things like the scarecrow in the field which has a hat on like Hrithik is wearing and the designs of the vases, the architecture and the background score. Pure magic.
Hrithik. Oh Hrithik my dear. You are wasted in Bollywood. Undoubedtly the finest actor of our generation. No one can touch you. Kites again didn’t do too well but that was also an example of magnificent film making. The way he just touched your heart sitting in that wheelchair, the expressions, the clothes, the way he presented the radio show and mainly just the way he pulled at your heartstrings because he literally couldn’t do anything when Aishwarya’s husband comes and hits her. He is restrained and can’t do anything and that’s why he wanted to take his own life, as so many people want to, and Hrithik has once more got it right. Hrithik made Ethan real.
An inspiring and thought provoking movie. A piece of classic film making by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and a magnificent performance from Hrthik Roshan.
Guzaarish official website: http://www.guzaarishthefilm.com/
Pic source: http://movies.sulekha.com/hindi/guzaarish/default.htm
Priya Mulji…x
priyamulji.com 
For me, Ash’s was the most complex character in the film. Sofia had so many layers and it was the most challenging role for any actor and Ash did really well. Hats off to her.
SLB rocks.
She was wonderful! you know, I wasn’t a big fan of Aish’s but after this movie my opinion completely changed. She was subdued, she wasn’t over the top…she was perfection. Well done. I see alot of awards coming for both her and Hrithik this year.
Not going to dispute you on Hrithik, but I think its his performance in Koi Mil Gaya which was probably his best. He properly brought out pure emotion in that film, and touched me right on my aorta.
Kudos to Sanjay Leela Bhansali as well, for steering away from his epic Bollywood crowdpleasers like Devdas and Saawariyan to go back to issue-based drama, which he excelled at with Khamoshi and Black. Hope he doesn’t listen to the Box Office and continues doing work he believe in, rather than projects you can tell he just doesn’t have passion for.
How could I forget Koi Mil Gaya! Amazing performance I agree… Although two very different movies, Hrithik shows his versatility in both and is without a doubt one of the best actors Indian cinema will ever see
From,
A Hrithik fan x