Sameer is the 2017 Bollywooddrama film directed by award-winning documentary maker Dakxin Chhara at his directorial debut.[1] The film premiered at the New York Indian Film Festival (2017).[2] The film stars popular actors like Zeeshan Mohammed Ayyub, Subrat Dutta, Anjali Patil, and Seema Biswas. Produced by Nomad Movies, Sameer had its theatrical release in India on 8 September 2017.
Plot
After a series of bomb blasts in Hyderabad a special ATS team, led by officer Desai, identified Yasin Darji as the suspect. Following a tip, the team reaches a location to arrest Yasin only to end up arresting Sameer, the wrong guy. While the error needs to be fixed, the higher authorities decide to bargain with Sameer for his freedom, sending him as a mole. Sameer turns a mole to stop Yasin Darji before he kills more innocent people. A chase begins. Will they manage to stop Yasin, or will Yasin triumph?[3]
Sameer had its World Premiere at the 17th New York Indian Film Festival on 6 May 2017.[4][5] The film was also screened at Charlotte Asian Film Festival 2017.[6]
Controversy
Sameer made into the headlines when India's Central Board of Film Certification ordered the director to remove the words "Mann ki baat", from a dialogue as it is the name of the radio show hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.[7][8]
The soundtrack of Sameer consists of 3 songs composed by Vipin Heero and Pankaj Awasthi while the lyrics have been written by Piyush Mishra and Vipin Heero.[10]
Sweta Kausal of Hindustan Times gave the film a rating of 3.5 out of 5 and praised the performance of Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub saying that, "While all the actors seamlessly fit their characters, Zeeshan once again proves his mettle as he goes from a vulnerable man to a becoming a puppet and later a master negotiator.". About the film the critic said that, "It is the well-knit screenplay and crisp editing that maintains the pace and makes Sameer an edge-of-the-seat thriller with a few melodramatic dialogues thrown in."[11] Reza Noorani of The Times of India gave the film a rating of 3 out of 5 and said that, "Sameer is a proper edge-of-the-seat thriller, albeit with its flaws, but keeps you hooked till the very end with a very strong pay-off."[12] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express praised the performance of Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub but also added that, "the rest of it is thin and predictable" and gave the film a rating of 1.5 out of 5.[13]Business Standard gave the film a rating of 3 out of 5 and said that, "For all its glaring sins of excesses and hysteria "Sameer" dares to go into a political theme that spells trouble for the perpetrator. For this, the film needs to be commended."[14] Vishal Verma of Glamsham gave the film a rating of 3 out of 5 and said that, "Despite having its flaws and its overwhelming reluctance to take any sides, SAMEER still manages to be a tight, edge of the seat surprise in the end and that's the movie's biggest victory."[15]
