critic's rating:  3.0/5

Firdous (Pranutan Bahl) is a teacher teaching at a remote school in Kashmir. She has been sent there because she refuses to remove a tattoo from her hand. She has a habit of pouring her heart out to a diary. She's tired of the pressures put in by her overbearing boyfriend and finds solace in teaching a limited number of children in a secluded spot, despite the problems associated with it. Due to pressure put in by her fiancée, she has to leave the school after one year. She forgets her diary behind which is found by Kabir (Zaheer Iqbal), a former soldier suffering from PTSD who wants a change of scene and becomes a teacher. The diary not only teaches him how to deal with his students but also with his own life itself. He makes his own observations in the notebook, and jots down his admiration for her, leaving it behind when he leaves after one year with the intention of returning after completing a teacher's training programme. Firdous picks up the diary upon her return, learns she has unwittingly inspired a stranger, and she in turn develops feelings for him. Whether they meet or not in real life forms the crux of the film.

Notebook is quite a faithful remake of the Thai original. Since the film is set in Kashmir, the director and his writing team has woven in the issue of millitiancy in the narrative, making a point that education is the key towards weaning away the young minds from the poisoned teat of terrorism. But otherwise it's a simple, old fashioned piece of romance, something that perhaps belongs to the Hrishikesh Mukherjee school of filmmaking. The picture perfect beauty of Kashmir's lakes is captured well by the cinematography. The production design too is on par with the theme of the film.

In an age where hookups are the order of the day, and one can dial in love through apps, it's good to see two people losing their hearts over random notes. Both the debutantes have acted their hearts out. Zaheer Iqbal and Pranutan Bahl don't have many scenes together and yet make for an interesting pairing. This slow burning love story seems just the right platform for them to showcase their talent. Zaheer has brooding eyes while Pranutan belongs to an impeccable pedigree and here's hoping they have a bright future ahead of them...

Trailer : Notebook

Rachit Gupta, March 27, 2019, 9:49 PM IST

critic's rating:  3.0/5

Notebook Story: Kabir (Zaheer Iqbal) stumbles upon the notebook where Firdous (Pranutan Bahl) has penned her most intimate thoughts. He falls in love without ever having known or met her.

Notebook Review: You can find love in the most unexpected places and situations. That’s what happens to Kabir when he takes up the job to teach at a remote house-boat school in Kashmir. He discovers a notebook that the previous teacher, Firdous used as her diary and he falls in love with her emotions and passions. Featuring a truly innovative concept, Notebook is a film for die-hard romantics. But even devout fans of the genre will agree that the film doesn’t really do enough with its basic premise. The one-line narrative is interesting, but the screenplay fails to do anything more.
An adaptation of the Thai drama 'The Teacher’s Diary' (2014), Notebook makes good use of the talents of its newcomers Zaheer Iqbal and Pranutan Bahl. The freshness of the lead pair and the exotic Kashmiri setting add visual appeal to the movie. The unusual story of falling in love with someone you’ve never met holds intrigue for most part of the run time, too. But the movie takes a little too much time to set things up. The young couple don’t meet until the climactic portions of the film and once the high-drama kicks in it feels too little, too late. The writing by Darab Farooqi, Payal Ashar and Sharib Hashmi manages to sneak in social themes around the Kashmiri youth, and that's a definite positive. But, neither the screenplay nor the dialogues are able to heighten the drama to requisite levels.

The highlights of 'Notebook' are the cinematography by Manoj Kumar Khatoi and the performances by Zaheer and Pranutan. Between the mesmerising visuals of Kashmir and an ethereal lake, are the two newcomers, who give their heart and soul to the characters. The have little screen time together, so their chemistry isn’t really able to make any impact, but both actors show promise. Director Nitin Kakkar, who’s made 'Filmistaan' and 'Mitron' in the past, isn’t able to flesh out the complete potential of the story at hand. The Kashmiri music by composer Vishal Mishra is pleasing but the songs haven’t been used to the required effect.

'Notebook' is an easy watch where you can appreciate the humour, drama and romance. But the film leaves you wanting for more. Perhaps with more creativity in writing, this young romantic saga could have achieved more.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7p7XLpp2aqpVjsLC5jqucr6GVrMBwrs6lo7Kvn6SxbrnOr6Ceq1%2BivLe1xGapnq6ZmsRuus6tnJunn6B6dH%2BPbGpnoKSiuQ%3D%3D