PUKAR (2000) Directed By Raj Kumar Santoshi Music: A.R. Rahman Starring: Anil Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Namrata Shirodkar, Om Puri, Danny Danzongpa, Prabhu Deva, Girish Karnad, Farida Jalal, Lata Mangeshkar, Govind Namdeo Running Time: 176 Minutes CineRating: 5.5 out of 10

Anil Kapoor stars as "Major Jaidev", a fiercely patriotic and highly decorated soldier who wins acclaim after risking his life to capture the fanatical and dangerous Pakistani terrorist "Abhrush" (Danny Danzongpa). Out on the town one evening, Jaidev spots the beautiful General's daughter Pooja (Namrata Shirodkar) and is instantly smitten. He starts a campaign to win her heart, much to the chagrin of Anjali (Madhuri Dixit), a lifelong female friend of Jaidev's who longs to be far more intimate with him. After Anjali discovers that Jaidev and Pooja are getting married, she burns with a jealous rage and is humiliated when an angry Jaidev douses her with water to cool her off. Associates of the now imprisoned Abhrush see Anjali as the perfect pawn to help them retrieve the secret military code in Jaidev's office that is needed to locate Abhrush's constantly changing whereabouts. One of the lackeys tells Anjali that if she steals the code (which he describes as being the code for a real estate deal) and passes it on to them, then Jaidev will be blamed for the information leak and his marriage to Pooja will be called off. Anjali goes along with the scheme, but soon becomes wracked with guilt when she discovers the sinister nature of what she's done.

Pukar is a jingoistic, big budget action thriller that starts off with a bang, but is nearly defeated by its torturously dull first hour, which sets up the story's romantic triangle in the methodical and insufferably cute manner of a mediocre sitcom. The only highlights are the stylish and catchy song-and-dance number "Que Sera Sera" (no, not the Doris Day song) featuring Madhuri Dixit and dance superstar Prabhu Deva, and the extremely goofy sound effect that punctuates any scene that ends with a verbal or visual punchline.

Thankfully, the movie turns far more interesting after Anjali betrays her loved one and can only watch in horror as his entire life is slowly but surely destroyed. The movie ditches the romantic comedy angle for all-out action and (sometimes hilariously) overwrought melodrama as Jaidev must once again face-off with the diabolical Abhrush. Director Raj Kumar Santoshi (China Gate; Lajja) stages the various shootouts and explosions with panache, although the fight scenes are repeatedly undermined by an extremely chintzy sound effect that barely seems in sync with what's happening onscreen. While no one will mistake the action scenes for those of a high caliber Hong Kong extravaganza, the production values and camerwork are among the best you are likely to see in a Bollywood action movie.

The prolific Anil Kapoor turns in another solid performance as the heroic Jaidev (in a role more suited to Sunny Deol) and Danny Danzongpa effectively devours the scenery as the crazed villain, but the film really belongs to Madhuri Dixit, who not only brings some touching emotional depth to her troubled character, but also shows off some great dance moves. The musical score by the amazing A.R. Rahman is not one of his best, but is highlighted by the aformentioned "Que Sera Sera", and also by "Kismat Se Tum Humko," which is given a beautiful visual presentation amidst a frozen landscape.

The DVD for Pukar sports a sharp looking, letterboxed transfer, but the disc is beset by occasional flaws, such as skipped frames, audio dropouts and visible splice lines at the top and bottom of the picture. It's not enough to ruin the film's effectiveness, but if you're looking for a near-perfect presentation, this is not it.

DVD Specs:

Eros/B4U DVD
Removable English Subs (none for the songs)
Making Of Featurette