Mudda 370 J&K

STORY: Set against the backdrop of the brewing tension between Hindus and Muslims in the beautiful land of Kashmir, two young souls – a Hindu man Suraj (Hiten Tejwani) and a Muslim woman Aasma (Anjali Pandey) – dare to love despite their socio-cultural dissimilarities. It is a classic case of forbidden love, but will the outcome be any different this time?

REVIEW: The setting is late 80s-early 90s Kashmir, and the stress between the two religious groups was simmering. But, amidst all that chaos and commotion, two brave hearts dare to love and seek acceptance from the society that is hostile towards the idea of them uniting in holy matrimony.

The screenplay of ‘Mudda 370 J&K’ touches upon the sensitive topic of Article 370, and even talks about the plight of Kashmiri Pandits during the uproar of 1990, but all that is done in a haphazard fashion and the narrative does not present a balanced portrayal of facts.

Sure, with a picturesque valley like Kashmir, the cinematography shows promise at the start but tends to get bizarre as the story progresses. Thanks to poor CGI work, at times the actors are not physically present in some of the scenes and it becomes glaringly evident, and laughable. The music of this period film is decent in parts, but feels like a replica of the 90s on several occasions.

Seasoned actors like Raj Zutshi, Zarina Wahab, Pankaj Dheer and Hiten Tejwani try to save this murky rendering with some quality acting, but ‘Mudda 370 J&K’ is beyond saving – in terms of direction, storytelling, cinematography and the overall presentation (like make-up). Director Rakesh Sawant needs to hone his skills behind the camera before thinking of directing another movie.

To sum it up, if you are a period drama fanatic and would like to know more about Kashmir and its history, then this film is not meant for you.