I had heard a lot about this movie. But somehow, never got around to seeing it. And what a time to watch it too! After having seen an interesting version of Mumbai in 'Slumdog Millionaire', here was yet another version of watching Mumbai bare itself unashamedly. What got me even more curious was that the whole crew of 'Aamir' was practically unknown and given the rave reviews it had been getting, I decided to take a chance. And boy! Am I glad I did!'Aamir' is a story of Dr. Aamir Ali who returns from London to his home in Mumbai only to find that someone has kidnapped his entire family. All he has are clues given by an unknown face and cellular phone cues that take him to a mirage of places that are simmering with lower middle class Muslims. He finds himself face to face with a society he had never seen before yet all the time doing what he is being told in order to save his family. At the end of the day he finds himself sitting on a bus with a suitcase that he has been told contains a bomb. He is then told to get off the bus at the next traffic light leaving the suitcase behind.This is as far as I want to tell you since the final few minutes of the movie are a revelation. I wouldn't go as far as to say I was completely taken aback by it or wasn't expecting it to happen, but the conviction with which a normal regular common man steps from those shadows of cowardice and attempts to personify his name 'Aamir' – a leader – was what I found most endearing. For a first time director, Raj Kumar Gupta surely treads a risky path as he tackles a burning issue in India head on. He enforces the ideologies that are so often taken for granted and makes the protagonist finally attempt the perfect antithesis of terror and a terrorist.I must say, it was quite a show. The movie albeit, is slow in parts and could have used some faster reactions from the leading man and some chop offs here and there, but these are trivialities when compared to the message the movie attempts to send across. I recommend everyone to watch 'Aamir', as such 'in the face' almost surreal seeming plots very rarely make for a good viewing.

This movie is almost a scene by scene copy from the Filipino movie Cavite released in 2005 and directed by Neill Dela Llana and Ian Gamazon. Check out this IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0428303Plot Summary for Cavite: Adam, a security guard, travels from California to the Philippines, his native land, for his father's funeral. He arrives in Manila. As he waits, a phone rings in his backpack; he answers it, and a male voice tells him that his mother and sister are captives and will be killed if Adam doesn't cooperate. Over the next hour, the voice sends Adam by bus, taxi, motorized tricycle, and on foot through an urban landscape of busy streets, cramped apartments, a fetid squatters' camp, a bank, a cockfighting arena, and a church. Adam's conversations with the voice cover murder, Islam, jihad, rebellion in Mindanao, and his family. What is it Adam will be commanded to do? Will he acquiesce?Does this seem familiar? I had thought this was an honest and original effort on the makers of "Aamir"s part but alas they keep copying stuff.Damn you guys.... Come up with something original.

Much have been talked about the movie already, but very little about the music. Amit Trivedi has not only composed some of the finest music from Bolly-stable, but even the background score of the movie is so good and adds to the cumulative journey a viewer is taken thru the movie. The frustration, helplessness, anger, are so well spoken through the music, very few movies from Bollywood have been able to attain this level of connection between screenplay and background score. Few songs will remain with me for the longest time. Haara, Ek Lau ... there are other tracks I heard on the album, but didn't hear on the movie like 'Phas gaya'. All these are tracks par excellence.

So much is said about Aamir – the movie - by most critics that I was very eager to see this movie. The movie surely has an interesting theme, very rarely presented and seen in Bollywood.Aamir Ali (Rajeev Khandelwal) – a doctor, returns from UK to India. He faces religious discrimination at the airport and when out of the airport is drawn into a web – when he knows that his family is kidnapped by some Muslim extremist, who want Aamir to run from one place to another in Bombay and end it up by planting bomb on a crowded bus. Will Aamir plant the bomb to save his family? Or will he save the people in the bus? Will he take revenge? Will be fight the Muslim extremist and kill them? I won't tell you the ending and leave it to you to see it.This is a very good effort by the first time director Raj Kumar Gupta, who has also written the movie. He has maintained the tempo and pace of the movie until the end. There are lots of other characters who come and go but Rajeev Khandelwal as the main protagonist has done a great job in enacting the role of the educated Muslim youth.The technique of the movie is good and reminds us of some Hollywood style movies. But, does the movie really satisfy you? I would say NO.The reasons are – first, the protagonist behaves like a stupid and an idiot from the first scene onwards when he is so unaware of his baggage, or while catching the mobile thrown at him, or replying the mobile when he knows his luggage is driven away in the car. He continues being foolish throughout the movie except the last scene, where he smiles and does not reply the mobile ring. A thing he should have done in the first place, in the first scene.Second, Indian Muslim issues are portrayed from a terrorist viewpoint. All issues though true loose substance and become flimsy because of that. There are also many other causes and reasons (local, national and international, economic) for terrorizing Bombay. Drama looses credibility.Third, there are annoying scenes – especially the one with the prostitute, or the joke scene in the hotel and the fight scene of hero.The best part is the way the life of Bombay is capture on the celluloid. It is brilliant – especially the dark lanes and chawls. The music is okay and some songs are good and hummable.Raj Kumar Gupta has done good job for his first movie, but the movie could have had been much better. Let's see if the director is a one film wonder or has some potential to surface again with another interesting theme.(Stars 6 out of 10) and an above average rating.