Rating: * * * 1/2

First things first Guzaarish is not a remake of The Prestige. Sanjay Leela Bhasali’s latest offering explores Quadriplegia through the life of a magician and puts forth the long debate pertaining to whether euthanasia should be legally allowed in special cases. The movie was surrounded by a lot of hype because it sees the return of Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai who have earlier cooked up some amazing chemistry together in films like Dhoom and Jodha Akhbar. This is the first time that director Bhansali who is known for movies like Devdas and Black is using the actors together in his film.

Now one thing is for sure, Bhansali certainly did a better job in Black. Even though Guzaarish has a two pronged agenda and deals with quadriplegia and mercy killing both at once, it fails to rake up emotions and lachrymose in a big way.  We never transcend our normal lives to step into the shoes of the protagonist. May be it is the somewhat blithe and somewhat eccentric nature of Hrithik’s charater, Ethan or just the overall treatment of the film. Either which ways, compassion is not something that the movie manages to evoke.

Having said that, Bhasali’s movies are also equally about the sets and costumes. There the director gets a ten on ten. He captures the essence of  Goa in the old styled villa with absolute perfection. The costumes and the make up compliment the overall mood with precision. We do see traces of Sawariyan in the film but then that cant rob Guzaarish of its own flavor and aesthetic appeal. There is a certain obsession that Bhansali has with the colour blue and so he lends it in tremendous generosity in the look and feel of his films.

Our most favourite parts of the film include ones where Hrithik is shown performing magical acts. We feel a certain sense of urgency every now and then to go back into the past to find out what really happened and that is something Bhansali cheats us with. The buildup is really slow and the movie drags in many parts. The music ain't great either.

I don’t think Aishwarya is able to do justice to her character. Her performances are being to look increasingly affected. As for Hrithik, the actor is good but could certainly have been used better in the hands of a master craftsman such as Bhansali.  Overall, Guzaarish cant be called the best work of all three people involved, Bhasali, Hrithik and Ash. Neither of three gets an opportunity to outdo themselves.