Flashback Friday: Revisiting Refugee, A Film That Started Kareena Kapoor’s Journey To Become A Superstar
Despite the fact that Kareena chose ‘Refugee’ over ‘Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai’ as her debut vehicle, the audience hailed the film she rejected as a gust of fresh air.
WHY REFUGEE IS THIS WEEK'S PICK
- Kareena Kapoor Khan recently ventured into the OTT space with the thriller 'Jaane Jaan', after spending over two decades in Bollywood and ruling the big screen with her films. As the seasoned actor delved into a new medium with an out-of-the-ordinary story, we look back at her feature film debut, Refugee, for which she chose another unusual script.
New Delhi: For Bollywood, 2000 would have been a tremendous year, with four actors making their debut, including three star kids putting their best foot forward in the industry. A similar moment now would almost certainly elicit a cry of nepotism, a long, fruitless debate on Twitter, and a few viral clips of actors reacting to the recent debuts. However, over two decades ago, despite the fact that we do not have a record of what actually unfolded, presumably Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan's son Abhishek Bachchan and Randhir Kapoor and Babita's daughter, also the sister of famed actor Karisma Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor made their first screen presence with JP Dutta's patriotic film, ‘Refugee’, amid far less noise.
Without the Dharma banner and the glittering story setup, these two debutants intended to win the hearts of their audience by going through an extremely challenging route, much like the film's depiction of traversing the Kutch terrain. And the most onerous obstacle on their risky journey to delivering a remarkable first film was the blockbuster romance drama starring Hrithik Roshan and Ameesha Patel.
Dutta, who helmed the National Award-winning film 'Border' in 1997, hoped to recreate the spell of the film on the big screen with a pair of fresh faces. However, the filmmaker looked to be leaning towards the romantic theme of the film's narrative set against the backdrop of the partition's aftermath this time. He managed to shoehorn all of his signature elements into this film, including wide landscapes, top-notch acting, and a beautiful musical score. Furthermore, in a sea of films with the same hackneyed romance theme, Dutta crafted a film that stood apart in both style and story. He cast debutantes Abhishek and Kareena as lovers on opposing sides of the border, so their story was made complex by more than just social divides and rival clans.
Refugee is said to have been inspired by Keki N. Daruwalla's novel Love Across The Salt Desert, which is set in the Great Rann of Kutch. Naaz (Kareena) travels with her Bihar-based family, who moved to East Pakistan following India's division in 1947. Her family and many other people were compelled to flee to the western region of Pakistan following the foundation of the state of Bangladesh in 1971. To get there by land, they'll have to cross India, and the only person who looks capable of guiding them is a young man who goes by the name Refugee for lack of a better identity.
The protagonist can be seen running slowly toward the camera as the yellow, glowing sun sets on the far-off horizon. As captivating as newcomer Abhishek's entrance is, the same can't be said for his performance throughout the film. In fact, he was meant to make his feature debut with 'Aakhri Mughal', starring opposite Bipasha Basu, but the project was shelved and we got to see him play an innocent-looking refugee longing for his home instead.
The plot, which begins with a family's quest for a home among their own people, gradually morphs into a romance tale, with the tragedy of losing one's land making a cameo appearance at times. Refugee (Abhishek) sees Naaz for the first time on a moonlit night and immediately falls in love with her. And suddenly, the journey across the Great Rann of Kutch to Pakistan becomes less treacherous and more about stolen glances and lovers teasing one another. Dutta, who is riding high on the phenomenal success of his previous war film, looks set to convey a tale that is a bit distinct. Although his protagonists get to their destination without diverting from the path, the director's vision does not. Instead of capturing the hardships that an immigrant is likely to face through a realistic lens, the filmmaker is too keen to set up a love triangle among Naaz, Refugee, and Lt Col Mohammad Ashraf (Suniel Shetty).
Refugee, who regards his clients as worthless pieces of luggage and refuses to become emotionally attached to them, crosses the Rann of Kutch dozens of times to meet Nazneen, and this time quite smoothly. The harsh realities of life and the borders dividing them shatter out of their cocoon of dreams as they hope to build their own home. Even the film's most devastating sequences are brought to life and made digestible by Anu Malik's music and Javed Akhtar's lyrics.
When seen with the tastes of a modern-day movie watcher, the storyline of the film, despite its compelling plot, seems to be loosely crafted. The debutants' performance, on the other hand, would leave one impressed. Abhishek, as a resilient and mindful character, breaks away from the stereotype of a brooding male character striving to save the world. Kareena Kapoor, on the other hand, portrays the childlike innocence of an adolescent girl who is oblivious to the awful fate that an immigrant child will inevitably face.
Warfare or patriotic films have taken an arguably more fleshed-out tone, and films like 'URI' or 'The Kashmir Files' are instances of the level of realism that such projects are likely to demand. However, the box-office haul of 'Gadar 2', a sequel to 'Gadar: Ek Prem Katha', a film akin to 'Refugee' set in a conflict between two countries, Pakistan and India, is proof that audiences don't mind a more jingoistic depiction with a dash of romance in it. On those grounds, 'Refugee' might appeal to more moviegoers now than ever.
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