New York Blu-ray

New York

 (2009)

New York Blu-ray delivers great video and solid audio in this enjoyable Blu-ray release
Omar, a taxi driver in New York, is wrongfully arrested for terrorism. The United States National Security Agency wants to send him to Samir, who was a friend in his university days and is now a leader of a secret terrorist group. Omar accepts the mission, only to prove Samir's innocence. Once a city full of friendship and love, New York no longer interested in the dreams of the Arabs and Indians after 9/11. Without typical Bollywood style music and dance, this serious drama follows the ragged life of an Indian kept down by his own skin color and religion with nostalgic retrospect on life in New York City.

For more about New York and the New York Blu-ray release, see the New York Blu-ray Review

New York Blu-ray Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov, November 16, 2009

Kabir Khan's New York (2009) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indian distributors Yash Raj Films. The disc contains a wealth of informative and entertaining supplemental features. With optional English, Arabic, Tamil and Telugu subtitles. Region-Free.

The beginning

Kabir Khan's New York is not your typical Indian film. Yes, it has many of the characteristics Indian films are known for - elaborate music scenes (though the marquee dancing acts are suspiciously missing), detailed storytelling, a questionable happy ending, etc. - but it is not what I expected it would be. New York made me think, and remember a tragedy which during the last couple of years I had learned to pretend never happened.

The story of the film revolves around three South Asians - Omar (Neil Nitin Mukesh, Johnny Gaddaar), an international student, who arrives to the U.S. to study in the prestigious New York State University; the beautiful Maya (Katrina Kaif, Race), who would help Omar get used to life in America; and Samir/Sam (John Abraham, Dostana), an athlete, who would show him how to have fun, "American style".

Fast forward. Omar falls for Maya. He starts spending more and more time with her, hoping that she would eventually respond to his feelings. Instead, Maya goes for Samir, and breaks Omar's heart. Frustrated but willing to remain friends with the couple, Omar steps back. Maya, of course, is unaware of Omar's feelings, so she continues to see him as the good friend he has been ever since they first met.

September 11, 2001. Terrorists attack the U.S. and change the way people look at each other. Omar packs his bags and leaves the campus of New York State University. Maya and Samir get married.

Now, I have to rewind a bit as this is not the exact order of the events you would witness in New York. The film actually begins with Omar's arrest after FBI agents discover a stack of weapons in the trunk of his cab. He swears that the weapons are not his, but is told that there is no way he could prove his innocence - which is why he is also told that he must assist the FBI in neutralizing a sleeper cell, formed by his old pal Samir. Omar agrees.

Agent Roshan (Irrfan Khan, Billu) is in charge with the operation. He orders Omar to meet Samir and Maya and learn as much as he could about their daily activities; he does and ends up staying at their house. The more Omar learns about Samir and his post-college life, however, the more he is convinced that the FBI is after the wrong man. His old feelings about Maya are also rekindled.

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that New York would split audiences right down the middle. It reaches far, but it does so by relying on so many cliches, it basically forces one to dismiss it long before the end credits roll (New York runs well over 150 min).

What truly frustrates, however, are the constant shifts between drama and romance (Bollywood style). Despite the rough opening, the first half of the film is rather casual; the main protagonists and their stories are far from believable but are certainly likable. Yet, after the intermission – yes, New York does have an intermission - it feels like the creators of the film suddenly decided that New York has to deliver a serious message addressing an unjust policy that affected the lives of many people after the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Unfortunately, the transition from casual to serious simply does not work very well.

The acting is a bit over the top, but it is certainly far more tolerable than what I have seen in other recent Indian films. Aseem Mishra's lensing is pleasing, but the editing, courtesy of Rameshwar S. Bhagat, is rather problematic.

New York Blu-ray, Video Quality

 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Kabir Khan's New York arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indian distributors Yash Raj Films.

Here's an Indian distributor that is undoubtedly on the right track as far as transferring Indian films on Blu-ray is concerned. Sure, there are a couple of issues with the presentation of New York, but for a start, this is definitely a disc that gives me a lot of hope that we would see some great Blu-ray releases from Yash Raj Films in the future.

The daylight scenes in New York look quite good. Detail ranges from good to very good to excellent, clarity is pleasing and contrast rather impressive. The color-scheme is also satisfying - reds, blues, yellows, greens, blacks and whites are lush and well saturated. During many of the nighttime scenes, however, digital noise is rather easy to spot. Mild edge-enhancement is also present during selected scenes (for example, take a look at the scene where Maya confesses to Omar that she is in love with Samir while wandering around the NYSU campus).On a positive side, when blown through a digital projector, the transfer does not reveal any stability issues. Finally, aside from a few minor specks, New York looks remarkably healthy.

I would like to quickly note that I noticed a couple of watermarks with the Yash Raj Films logo that popped up on my screen while I was watching New York. I wasn't disturbed by their presence - they appeared for only a couple of seconds - but you should be aware that they exist.

(Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

New York Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 

There are three audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Hindi DTS 5.1, Hindi Dolby Digital 5.1, and Hindi Dolby Digital 2.0. For the record, the Indian distributors have provided optional English, Arabic, Tamil and Telugu subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear outside of the image frame.

It is a bit disappointing to see that Yash Raj Films have not provided a loseless audio track for New York as there is plenty of footage in the film that would have benefited tremendously from it (the lovely music certainly would have benefited a lot). This said, I opted for the Hindi (with a mix of English) DTS 5.1 track, and for the most part, I wasn't disappointed with it. This is a fairly aggressive audio track, with strong bass and good surround activity. The dialog is also crisp, clear and very easy to follow. Still, I do believe that a loseless track of some sort would have been great to have.

New York Blu-ray, Special Features and Extras

 

Songs - direct access to four key scenes from the film with the following songs: "Hai Junoon...", "Tune Jo Na Kaha - I", "Tune Jo Na Kaha - II", and "Mere Sang".

Making of the Film - a standard featurette where the cast and crew talk about New York, its message, the three main protagonists, etc. In English. (480/60i)

Deleted Scenes - five deleted scenes that were left on the cutting floor. (480/60i).

Music Video - Junoon Remix, a nice dance track with the three main protagonists from the film singing, dancing and simply having a good time. (480/60i).

The Making of Junoon Remix - raw footage from the making of the video (with cast and crew comments). (480/60i).

Music Video - Mere Sang Remix, another quite good dance track. (480/60i).

The Making of Mere Sang Remix - raw footage from the making of the video (with cast and crew comments). (480/60i).

New York Special - Zoom TV - director Kabir Khan, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Katrina Kaif and John Abraham talk about their work together, the main protagonists in the film, the type of message the film carries, etc. (480/60i).

The New Yorkers - a CNN IBN open discussion with Neil Nitin Mukesh, Katrina Kaif and John Abraham. (480/60i).

New York Special - Times Now - another promo piece (discussion) with director Kabir Khan, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Katrina Kaif and John Abraham. (480/60i).

Promo materials - a trailer and eight TV spots. (480/60i).

New York Blu-ray, Overall Score and Recommendation

 

I think that it is incredibly difficult to make a film that takes on such a sensitive issue as the September 11 tragedy and make it resonate with viewers from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. And this is one of the key reasons why Kabir Khan's New York will likely frustrate quite a few people - on one hand, the film strives to be a modern, Western type drama; on the other hand, it retains many of the marquee characteristics Bollywood films are known for.

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