What you may brave through then is a flick neither real or serious enough to be a meditation on global terror, nor sweetly suspended and adequately brain-dead to be Die Hard. It’s hard to be both. The hardship shows.

Neither preachy nor wanting to make a statement, Kurbaan keeps it simple. It’s a thriller that tackles terrorism and the Islamic viewpoint with maturity and depth. Packed with powerful performances, it’s a must- watch for its technical brilliance and captivating storyline.

“All Muslim’s are terrorists.” In order to prove that the Western world thinks that way, Rensil D’Souza and Karan Johar go that extra mile to showcase the very same thing. And, hopefully inadvertently, complete the circle and cast the despicable stereotype in a deeper mould. Why are good Islamic citizens left out?

Stripped to its bone, Rensil D’silva’s Kurbaan is an edge-of-the-seat thriller that seldom loses its grip on your attention. Credible performances from its leads, and a nail-biting screenplay make up for the plot holes that threaten to eat into this otherwise engaging film.

KURBAAN is NEW YORK. But with a different set of actors. KURBAAN is also SHOOT ON SIGHT, again with different actors. The plot remains the same, the twists and turns fails to surprise you and the end is inevitable. However, here, the love story has been hyped, thanks to Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor having an off-screen romance as well.

What if your husband – the man you love and share a home and bed with, turns out to be a terrorist?

Kurbaan, produced by Karan Johar and directed by Rensil D’Silva, constructs this unimaginably tortured situation and then squanders it. The film has ambition but it is too flawed and simplistic to explore issues like religion, violence and the politics of terrorism with any conviction or gravitas.

Many storytellers have, in the past, narrated stories about terrorists and their nefarious and despicable plans. But let me state one thing categorically. You haven’t watched a more profound, a more thought-provoking, a more dramatic story on this subject before KURBAAN. It’s not just the most powerful film to come out of Dharma Productions, it’s the most powerful film to come out of the Hindi film industry this year, thus far.

Kurbaan sure does strike a chord and sets you thinking on stuff that needs to be sorted out before the new world order – a more humanitarian, less violent – sets in. Don’t miss it.

Rensil D’Silva makes a confident debut with his taut grip on the subject and confident direction. Of the few loose ends, Riyaaz’s quest to deal with the terrorists without any help from the cops looks both, needlessly heroic and unpersuasive. Also it seems quite improbable that the terrorists do not learn his identity till the climax though he is a popular television reporter. Though the lovemaking song between Saif and Kareena is sensually shot, it is employed to corny effect.

Rensil D’Silva makes a confident debut with his taut grip on the subject and confident direction. Of the few loose ends, Riyaaz’s quest to deal with the terrorists without any help from the cops looks both, needlessly heroic and unpersuasive. Also it seems quite improbable that the terrorists do not learn his identity till the climax though he is a popular television reporter. Though the lovemaking song between Saif and Kareena is sensually shot, it is employed to corny effect.

Unlike Khuda Ke Liye where you could sense the filmmaker’s urge to put forward a point, Kurbaan is a `terrorist flick’, where the Kareena-Saif chemistry will be better liked and talked about than the film’s content. Sample Kurbaan if you can forgive the director’s `filmy’ take on terrorism and can enjoy the thrilling moments and superb performances nevertheless.

Kurbaan is bloody smart. In its taut screenplay, stylish photography and good performances by the cast, it keeps you engaged, does not insult your intelligence and avoids getting preachy. And that’s saying a lot for a film by a debutant director.