Kunal Khemu is brilliant and Sonali Bendre has a graceful presence. This is perhaps the first film that got him recognized as a serious actor and a fortunate deviation from those horrible dishum-dishum action flicks he was better known for.
Ajay Devgan too delivers one of his best performances. After that both Bhatts opted for production. Incidentally this is Pooja Bhatt's last movie as female lead actress and Mahesh Bhatt's last as director. One may wonder why she didn't get any recognition for it. Bhatt's daughter Pooja Bhatt produces and stars in 'Zakhm' giving her career-best performance. The use of darker tinted colours only contributes to the film's gloominess and the characters' loneliness and desire. Yet, 'Zakhm' remains a moving experience mostly because of the performances, songs and rawness. Bhatt's attempt at storytelling is genuine but it does tend to get preachy towards the end and slightly derails. Rumour has it that the movie is based on Bhatt and his mother. 'Zakhm' is one of Mahesh Bhatt's most down-to-earth works to date. Also, the turbaned man in the film is neither Muslim nor Hindu but a Sikh. Within Hinduism in particular, this is NOT a problem-as you can worship Jesus and the traditional Hindu deities-something you would not think of in the West. One other aspect of the film that might confuse some is seeing folks embracing Christianity and other religions at the same time. For both films, be sure to have some Kleenex handy-you'll probably need them.
For a similar sort of insight, try watching Deepa Mehta's film "Fire"-a very sad but extremely well done film as well. However, it also is a wonderful opportunity to learn about this and be entertained at the same time. This is not a complaint about the film-just an observation about potential difficulties for the unfamiliar. Most Westerners, sadly, know little, if anything, about the religious strife which has killed hundreds of thousands since India gained its independence. My only reservation is that western audiences are usually VERY ignorant of Indian history (a plead guilty of this to a small degree) and it might be tougher for them to follow the story and understand the cultural and religious aspects of the film. Overall, this is a very compelling story-well told and sure to keep your attention. And, because of the sad mood of the film, more traditional singing would have detracted from the movie. While there are some musical interludes, none of these involve the actors singing or dancing. What's to become of all this? "Zakhm" is not a typical Bollywood song and dance film. And what of Ajay's lovely wife? She has no idea he hides this secret. And, Anand has no idea that his mother is secretly one of the people he hates-a Muslim. How will all this straighten itself out-as it sure sounds complicated and quite sad. Ajay stops him and hands the killer over to the police-and now Anand vows that he is no longer Ajay's brother-Anand wanted his revenge. In the present time, Anand is lured by the appeal of the extremists and when his mother is set ablaze, he's about to murder one of the men responsible. All this and the aftermath at the father's funeral is all told through a flashback that takes up at most of the film. And, when the man realizes he's a father once again, he rushes to her side-but is killed in a traffic accident. Shortly after this, the first wife has a baby-and now Ajay has a younger brother, Anand.
Eventually, this spineless jerk marries-leaving his unofficial first wife and son to fend for themselves. When the man later tries to be a man and defy his mother's wishes and recognize her as his wife, she manipulates him in one of the most awful ways I've ever seen in film history (you just have to see this scene for yourself!). For several years, he keeps her like a concubine in a separate house with their son. Apparently, she and a man fell in love and married secretly-but her mother-in-law refused to recognize the marriage, as she is a Muslim and he is Hindu. After a Hindu man's mother is attacked and severely burned by a group of religious zealots, the doctor is baffled-why would this Hindu woman call on the name of Allah in her dying hours? At this point, her son begins to think back about his childhood and the sad story of his mother. The film begins in recent times-during some unrest between Muslims and Hindus in Mumbai. The film was apparently written by the director, Mahesh Bhatt, and it's actually based on his own life experiences. "Zakhm" is an Indian film about a topic we'd all do well to see more of-religious toleration.
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