User Reviews

Having not really watched Bollywood films, since the days of the action movies of the 70's & 80's, I wasn't really interested in watching the more recent offerings from Bollywood, since I assumed they were mostly love stories and were full of songs which had no reason for being there.

But, having watched a few (subtitled) films shown as part of an Indian season over here in the UK, I've started to change my mind.

I watched Fiza last night and even though it was full of songs and was let down slightly by the second half, I was amazed to find a film dealing with the Bombay Hindu/Muslim riots of 1993 and it's consequences on a Muslim family.

It starts with the 1993. Amaan (Hrithik Roshan) lives with his mother (Jaya Bachchan) and sister Fiza (Karishma Kapoor). One night Amaan goes out into the riot-stricken streets of Bombay and disappears. We then jump to 1999 and the first half of the film then deals with the consequences, as Fiza determines to find her brother.

Through flashback we find out what happened, as Amaan finds himself a outsider in his own country, but the real reasons for his disappearance are only discovered when Fiza discovers her brother hiding out with terrorists.

I won't reveal the rest of the story, but I will say, it was refreshing to see a film from the Indian-Muslim viewpoint and having central characters who were Muslim. Being British and of Indian-Hindu descent, I hadn't really thought about it before.

I know the film isn't an in-depth look at the problem or even that it represents Indian-Muslims in general, but it did open my eyes slightly to the problems facing India today, especially since the recent (2002) Hindu/Muslim riots in Gujarat showed how bad the violence could be and how much politics played it's part in them.

One last point, the performances from the three main leads is excellent. Hrithik Roshan was much better than I expected, but Jaya Bachchan and Karishma Kapoor were really outstanding.

Although, not a perfect film and still very Bollywood in it's style, I still found it much better then the standard Bollywood fare and I would highly recommend it.

Kahalid Mohamed's Fiza is one gem of a movie. This is a realistic portrayal of the consequences of war, violence, hatred, and the dehumanisation of people at times of a war. Families losing people, parents losing sons, sisters losing brothers and so on. This film is about Fiza, a smart, intelligent and strong young Muslim woman who lost her brother Aman seven years ago during the 1993 Mumbai riots. He disappeared and no one knows where he is. Meanwhile, she and her suffering mother live a poor and ordinary lifestyle. Fiza decides to go in search of her brother and is well determined to find him by any means possible. She meets different people on her way and finally meets her brother, just to find out that he is not the simple young man he used to be.

The film is brilliantly narrated, well pictured, and quite authentically portrayed and acted, so I believe most people will find it easy to relate to the story, to the characters and their different tribulations. The dialogues are well-written and they often waver between the realistic and the utterly theatrical, but that is really a nice sort of balance as far as I'm concerned. The people Fiza meets on her way represent the variety of people in our society: the bad, the good, the deceived, the corrupted, the ugly and the generous. The story changes drastically when Aman enters the picture, it becomes lighter and does lend some relief after the more intense first half. But it's just for a little while. The film soon becomes far more dramatic and intense with some shocking twists. Some of the proceedings are heart-breaking and powerful.

Karisma Kapoor delivers one of the finest performances the Hindi screen has seen. What a magnificent performance. She is natural, sincere, beautiful, charismatic, charming, and performs with great nerve, depth and conviction in every frame. She makes the feisty Fiza an unforgettable woman. One particular scene that must be noted is the one in which Fiza breaks down and starts literally mourning post a very tragic incident (see the film to understand). It is an extremely powerful and heart-rending moment of real pain and despair.

Jaya Bachchan, in one of her best performances, is amazingly compelling and moving as the hurt yet vivacious and lively Nishatbi. She displays maternal pain and later helplessness and despair with amazing depth and pathos. Her silence, as one can expect from an actress as skilled as she is, tugs at the heartstrings. Hrithik Roshan is impressively competent. His role is very complex and he plays it with complete dedication even if sometimes something is missing and it feels too starry. It's a very good performance overall, though he obviously does not create the same kind of impact as his female co-stars. Other cast members, including Asha Sachdev, Manoj Bajpai and Neha, support very well. Asha Sachdev in particular stands out in a relatively small role. She provides great comic relief with her natural sense of humour. There is also a funny sequence with Johnny Lever imitating different Indian stars.

The music is fantastic and helps to relieve the otherwise extremely serious proceedings. Sushmita Sen's number "Mehboob Mere" was effective, but the one I liked the most is Karisma's "Aankh Milaoongi" dance number. She danced very well and I found the number quite alluring despite its evident irrelevance within this film. "Aaja Mahiya" and "Tu Fiza Hai" are very melodious and romantic.

Khalid Mohammed, a well-known film critic, must have stored the idea for a real and artistic film for a long time. His attempts to draw balance between the mainstream and the so-called art cinema within this film, are a little weird at times but still, this is a wonderfully made film in all aspects. It is authentic, not one-sided, it conveys emotion, fun, entertainment, tears, pain, without going to any extremes of unnecessary drama. The story is interesting and, combined with the good acting, manages to keep the audience, and I'm speaking for myself, constantly engaged. The cinematography is fantastic, the action is not overdone (okay maybe just sometimes), and the background score is exceptional. The ending is shocking but contributes to the drama. This film is highly recommended for all those who love Bollywood films, or realistic films, or just films that make sense.

The issues of Kashmir have never been easy to solve since Nehru took the issue to UN. It has become much more complex in a world where terrorism has become the easiest way to wage wars. Trying to make a movie around this requires competence. If you are looking a movie around this theme, please stay away from Fiza, even if it is aired for free on telly.

After watching this movie, Khalid Mohammed will remain in my memory as one of the worst movie makers in Indian cinema. Immature and confused storyline along with his absolute misdirection only complicated the story-telling. It takes great ineptness to even mess the things like Johny Lever's comedy in a movie. Trust me, you can only get embarrassed watching it.

The only reason I didn't rate it awful is for a quote on Indian flag.

-Kiran

A powerful movie with superb acting from all the actors and actresses. Beautifully choreographed music. This movie was the best movie I've seen this year. Hrithik Roshan is a brilliant actor as the role he played was very demanding.Karisma Kapoor was also outstanding and the special appearance by Sushmita Sen was in a class of its own ! Go and watch the movie with an open mind. You will not be dissappointed!

Fiza is definitely one of the better movies churned out by Bollywood in recent times. It carries a message that every religion is good but it is the politicians who are using religion as a weapon and destroying innocent families for ulterior motives. It deals with the problems being faced in India currently which have been repeatedly erupting and causing a huge dent in the economy. Since the past 50 years, every time India has got back on its feet a new politician created calamity has dragged it back down preventing it from being a power to reckon with and doing away with national problems like poverty and illiteracy which prevents people from leading a normal existence. And every time the roots of these calamities can be traced to religion. Everything is not fair in the name of religion. The film has good music and both Karisma & Hrithik have rendered superb award winning performances. Some people may feel that Hrithik's character is not very strong but looking at it from a perspective of what he is subjected to and circumstances which he cannot control make him the person portrayed in the movie. The silent scene of him in the train says it all.

I was completely blown away by this movie. The acting, direction, cinematography and music are all superb! The entire experience is totally gripping and overwhelmingly powerful. Various camera shots remind me of the great Eisenstein films. This is the first film I've seen of Khalid Muhamed. His genius is staggering. I then viewed Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai and am dumfounded that it swept so many (any??) awards! It is like a shallow cartoon when compared with Fiza. It boggles my mind that Kaho could have won awards in any category where it might compete with Fiza. This is the best film I have seen in a LONG time. Must see. Don't miss it! Buy it! Watch it over and over......it is a true work of art and devotion. How786

Fiza is the best Indian Movie I ever saw.. I love everything of that movie, especially the song Baba Haji Ali and Mehboob Mere with Susmita Sen, she was wonderful. I saw the movie 20 times. Its a Family movie you can watch it with your hole family (issat). Karisma and Jaya Bachan did also a great job she was so fantastic, the role of Fiza suite Karisme Kapoor very well.

Keep go on Mister Khalid Mohamed..

I cant wait to see your next movie..

Greets from Holland..

Mohammed Khalid Jahangier Ashrfi

Having recently seen FIZA in Bombay, I certainly understood what all the fuss about the movie is about. Addressing the highly controversial Indo-Pak issue in a fashion which may be viewed as anti-Indian, the controversy goes well beyond the Muslim-Hindu conflicts, the 1993 Bombay Riots, and India/Pakistan themes. The director has been generally panned by critics, yet the public has voted positively at the box office, making it one of the biggest Bollywood successes in recent memory. The film features Bollywood hottest young stars, and this has added fuel to the fire as well. Hrithik Roshan, the lead actor (though FIZA is his well-meaning sister's name) has been crowned as the undisputed heart throb of the Indian sub continent after this film. Following his now-classic ubiquitous Cola TV commercial, and AAGHAZ, this was expected. His fans have become so fanatical (even by Indian standards) that many have felt this role presents Hrithik in a negative light. This fact was highlighted at FIZA's first showing at the Aarti Cinema in Ludhiana. The audience felt so let down, they set a fire, destroyed theater property, and ransacked the premises. On the other side, the movie continues to be Number 1 at the Box Office, and its songs are constantly played on Indian MTV, and indeed in Pakistan, as well.......The film is high drama, Bollywood-style, with good action and great songs, with plenty of eye candy for males and females alike: the gorgeous Sushmita Sena and Karisma Kapur for males, and Hrithik Roshan leading the handsome men for the female audience. Perhaps not unexpectedly, but nevertheless bizarre, the lead stars are very fair, very non-Indian looking actors, with light eyes to boot (surely contact lenses in most cases, but nevertheless confirming a disturbing "Michael Jackson trend" in the Indian subcontinent to admire beauty as "Western beauty.") If you see only one Bollywood movie this year, or indeed, if you have never seen one, this is the one to see.

First time director Khalid Mohammed, who is a respected film critic, dons on a new cap and displays to Indian cinema what can be achieved visually in a film, and how a plot can take its audience to high expectations. This newly developed plot, with characteristics and representations that is very much three dimensional and anti-stereotype, commends the director for his skills as a film-maker.

Its very rare to find an woman, displayed on the moving canvas, as independent, strong and intelligent. Films like Mother India (1965), Bandit Queen (1996), Roja (1993), Hazzar Churasi Ki Maa (1998) and The Terrorist (1998/1999) are examples and the movie Fiza (2000) joins such list. Here the main character called Fiza, played wonderfully by Karishma Kapoor, is seen as such. Fiza is a woman presented in a material world that profits from politics and religion, a male dominated environment. Fiza, which means seasons, goes out in a dangerous world to find her brother, who is in contrast to Fiza as we soon learn.

Amman, played convincingly by the talented Hrithik Roshan, is seen as rather weak willed, easy to command over and psychologically unbalanced while finding his own identity. Even though he is built as a strong man through his physicality, his inner strength is weak and Fiza knows this. This forms part of the reason for his search when she leans that he is has associated with a terrorist group and the justification for this is rather strong. It also shows that man is not as perfect as they think to be and really brings out a new representation of them in this Indian film.

The characteristic of the mother, played by the wonderful theatrical actor Jaya Bachchan, is also similar to Fiza which has been fully developed making audiences emotionally bonded with her. This is due to her growing up in the times of post independence when women were considered to be below the male species in India. Living throughout two generations she carries both ideologies of the past and present seen through her own eyes. While respecting her religion very thoroughly, she is seen to be very close to her children and loves them dearly. This adds another reason why Fiza needs to find her brother, to make sure that her mother remains strong like her and that her believes that her son is still alive is true.

Yet when she sees the real colors of her son, she is dismayed and admits defeat. Sadly she commits suicide as a result. Many audience found this to be rather 'Indian cinema'. Yet to me it makes sense why the director took this path. She is a product of the past, and of faith. When she realizes that her faith of bringing Amman had failed in her eyes, she cannot face herself and as a result dies. If Fiza had a son, like Amman and the same circumstances happened in the future then Fiza would be able to cope with this as society is much more open then it was when Nishatbi was growing up. Clearly the director has thought-out the characters past, present and future rather wonderfully and intelligent audience who capture this understand engage in the film more deeply then what the film offers us on the surface.

There are moments when the film does play on stereotypes with the ministers, leaders, hit men and media, and this could have been improved upon. Yet these Indian cinema conventions manage to work within this screenplay as it is very brief and never dwelled upon. Other minor disappointments with the movie is the way songs come into the narrative structure making this film seem more apt-able for commercial cinema audiences. Dances, glamor and overly high modern songs seen in this film don't agree with the overall narrative jarring the viewing senses and prolonging time. The song only applicable for the film would be 'Piya Haji Ali', beautifully composed by A.R. Rahman, and the song 'Mere Watan' composed by Ranjit Barot as they help with the film's screenplay.

Now that I have talked about the content of the film lets ponder over the technical values, all of which are breathtaking. Cinematography by Santosh Sivan is excellent throughout capturing the images and light effects with perfection, while art design work is also very realistic and helps with the overall look of the film. Editing is also rather good and manages to blend the scenes rather well never deviating from the core matter, just wish those useless songs were edited out.

The film is an interesting concept from the new director and displays that his future work will be something all audiences will view with high expectations. But the director must move away from the 20 year old conventions we have seen in all of Indian films, in order to achieve something properly intellectual. Still Fiza is a good movie with brilliant characters, acting and technical credits.

Hrithik Roshan's second and film critic Khalid Mohamed's first movie is an art house film with commercial interludes, obviously deemed necessary for box office performance and integrated with various degrees of success. The film suffers and profits at the same time from the 6 song/dance numbers and one prayer. While the prayer is wonderful and convincingly marries the plot with musical and visual elements, providing an esthetic and also emotional highlight of the film, the dance number by Sushmita Sen and the disco number by Karishma Kapoor, although solid and attractive per se, look forced in the context and have little connection to the film's central themes. The Karishma-Bikram song could be easily edited out at no loss. This is less the case with the Hrithik-Neha sequence which looks and sounds great and adds some desperately needed happiness to an otherwise rather sad sequence of events. And of course it's the only time Hrithik dances. Cutting this one would probably have caused riots in cinemas. The funeral piece is also well integrated and is not an artistic liability. Finally the martial training montage is as commercial and obvious as it gets, exploiting Hrithik Roshan's 'Rambo' aspect at its fullest. Technically well done and a blessing for the box office, no doubt, but artistically a capitulation. A very guilty pleasure indeed. The reason "Fiza" is nonetheless a quite impressive debut film is due to the three leads, two seasoned performers and a newcomer, but all three giving wonderful performances, and an uncompromising look at a subject that is controversial but anything but irrelevant, the Mumbai riots of the early 90s, the ethnic and religious hatred behind it and the unscrupulous forces causing and exploiting it to further their dubious causes. Watch the movie for its cast. This is clearly Karishma Kapoor's best performance so far and likely to fetch awards. As Fiza she shows great strength, resolution and the courage to lay bare emotional depths unseen from her so far. Jaya Bachchan as the mother is solid and turns in a fine performance. Hrithik Roshan, finally, puts to rest all worries that he might be a one film wonder and no real talent. His performance is simply amazing considering this is only his second film. There is hardly one wrong note to be found. His acting comes very naturally, his facial expressions speak volumes. His riot scenes have to be seen to be believed. His screen presence is impressive. He's probably the most charismatic new actor working in films these days, and I'm not talking about India alone. His performance would be very good for an old professional. For a newcomer it's incredible. His future in India and abroad looks extremely bright if that's a standard he can uphold and probably even improve upon. This is an actor to watch very closely in the future. International superstar material.

This film portrays a sensitive issue for the Indian community.An issue that has seen many horrible faces in the past,The religious clashes destroys the mind of an youth,in order to survive, in order to seek answers, in order to find the people responsible for the major change in his life he slowly falls a prey to politics and corrupted religious warmongers. Misleading him to a path of no return and revenge it ultimately triggers his own destruction. Another side of the story is a fight of a sister for her brother, a strong woman who wants back the happiness that was taken away. the film has minor essence of romance as well as comedy, but the main plot remains untarnished and well portrayed. This film is for mature audience who can view it with open mind rather than debating on whose fault it is ( ie Hindu or Muslim ).The acting is very good, and most of the actors did a very good performance.The music lightens the heavy topic at times and very well composed by A.R Rehman. The movie is not any masala flick with cheap actions and actresses getting semi nude, neither it has very big names that merely gets praises buy stupid dialogs. it shows a very ordinary Indian life with the bitter reality. If you want story, go for this.

( This is no Karan Johar film, so you will not find multimillionaire love stories or actors living with sadness in big palaces in foreign locations )

My husband and I really enjoyed this movie. The music is great, and the story was really really good. I think this was a great way to introduce us to Hindi movies since the story was so compelling and included a look at Hindu/Muslim relations that Americans don't really know or understand. Plus the cinematography was beautiful. After seeing this one, we hardly watch any english language movies anymore! Go Bollywood!

Although still had a taste of Indian commercial films, Fiza was a different kind of movie. The story line and direction were good and the actings were super.

Herithik is obviously made for films. His look and talent is all what is needed to become a movie star. It's amazing that despite being his second film, he perform so powerfully. Unlike Shah Rukh, whose acting is artificial (one can tell he is perforimg for the camera), Herithik performnce is very natural. Shah Rukh has lost the rank.

Krishma did a great job and Jeya bachchan showed she has the ability to perform, and perform so powerfully.

Fiza has its flaws. A lot of things are unclear, it still has unneeded scenes and songs.

It also had flaws like most indian flims

This movie was excellent. Before I watched this film, I haven't heard of anyone who had seen it. It came on one afternoon, and I almost passed over it. I'm glad I didn't. Jaya, Hrithic, and Karishma especially were outstanding. The music was horrible, but this is a film to watch for the great acting.

Aside from the great performances by the three main characters, I thought the plot was clever. Karishma plays a devoted sister, looking for her brother after he disappears during the riots. Jaya plays the hopeful mother. Although she is told regularly that her son is dead, she never gives up hope that her son will return. Hrithic, of course, plays the son. I don't want to give away the plot, but I have to recommend this movie to all. It is very emotional. It is the type of film that will move you to tears long after it has ended.

Some of the poignant scenes and music in the movie are etched in my mind. The jarring note of the funeral and the subtlety of Karisma kapoor's acting. Being the grand daughter of the greatest Indian Film Maker-Raj Kapoor, she has certainly inhertited the genes. Now the much ballyhood actor of recent times- Hrithik Roshan, This guy is so chisseled and handsome that he almost looks like a funny looking kid. Can he act? yes,sometimes; but it is almost painful to watch him. With a V-shaped body, a biceps as big as the state of Montana,and a good disposition towards the opposite sex he will make a good Indian Bond, if only some producer could catch on to this. The problem with the so called "stars" of the 80' generation is that they count on the looks so much they forget they are actors first. If you watched the Movie Monsoon Wedding there is this charecter "P.k. Dubey" done by an actor called Vijay Raaz,who no one in right mind accuse him of being handsome,but he churned a great performance and he repeated the feat in some small roles in"Road" and "Shakti".Frankly I rather watch him or Morgan Freeman in Shanshank Redemtion. The looks draw the audience initially but to sustain thereon you need a talent like Anil Kapoor or Amitab Bachchan. Sorry Kiddo you are not going to cut it. I loved the music including the prayer song, the duet, and the very aesthetic and sexy number by Sushmita Sen so much so she made it to the cover of a Hollywood Film Magazine. Some of the best "Bollywood" dances in the recent years were in "Om Jai Jagdish" and "Humraaz". Suffice to say that I have seen the above movies just for the Song and dance numbers and if done well they could be highly entertaining.

This movie was really good and a powerful movie.The first half was terrific.It was about a girl who lost her brother in th 1993 riots she asks every body.Then later see shes her brother he is a terrorist.The story line was really strong.Khalid Mohammeds story telling is superb for no doubt.Dialogs are good.The visuals are breath taking.Cinematography is good.I liked the theme as well and liked how it was presented.It had a gripping story line.It was a very realistic and almost an heart warming movie

Acting is first rate.Hrithik Roshan has done a good job in an interesting role.Having like him from this to Koi Mil Gaya he is surely a treat.Why not his looks.He proves that he can look good and act dramatically at the same time too.Jaya also performed good too.Her expressions feeling thoughts were amazing especially when she finds her sons true colors.Manoj Bajpai is Good too in a brief role.The life of this movie is Karishma Kapoor she has given a marvelous performance in a power packed role a well deserved award.She bring life into her character.She is able to portray her emotions convincingly.Isha Koppikar gets no scope.

Songs are good especially Piya Haiji Ali which is beautifully composed.And not to forget the visuals were stunning.Direction is really good.Dialogs are all powerful and emotional.Characetrisations are powerful.Ending was sad through.It was a very different movie.Although the second half was not as good as the first one but was still great.All,i can say is this was the best movie of 2000.Highjly recommended

7 was completely blown away by this movie. The acting, direction, cinematography and music are all superb! The entire experience is totally gripping and overwhelmingly powerful. Various camera shots remind me of the great Eisenstein films. This is the first film I've seen of Khalid Muhamed. His genius is staggering. I then viewed Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai and am dumfounded that it swept so many (any??) awards! It is like a shallow cartoon when compared with Fiza. It boggles my mind that Kaho could have won awards in any category where it might compete with Fiza. This is the best film I have seen in a LONG time. Must see. Don't miss it! Buy it! Watch it over and over..it is a true work of art and devotion.First time director Khalid Mohammed, who is a res

film critic, dons on a new cap and displays to Indian

What a well made movie, each scene and each dialogue so beautifully crafted. Such a relevant theme shown with precise depiction