Dotbankey A lot of fun.

Connianatu How wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.

Clarissa Mora The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Jay Mehta I watched it very recently on YouTube. It is a 2006 drama by Nagesh Kukunoor - a tale of two ladies, far away from each other, unknown to each other's existence but yet connected by a tragedy. A must watch with a powerful story and amazing acting, especially by Aayesha Takia. Story (9/10): Dor is the story of two ladies - one, Meera (Aayesha Takia) is the wife of the deceased and another, Zeenat (Gul Panaag) is the wife of the convict. While one is trying to cope with the loss of her husband, another is on a mission to do everything possible under the sun to save her husband from execution under the Saudi law. While the government is in process of exploring all the diplomatic options, there is a ray of hope for Zeenat. However, that hope can't materialize without the help from Meera - wife of the very man, for the murder of which, her husband is convicted. While Zeenat has an agony of her own, Meera is fighting another battle in rural Rajasthan where the life of a widow is pretty much the same as dead and only her body has some material value. For someone who loves dancing and music, giving up all forms of entertainment, colorful clothes and any kind of interaction with the outside world is pretty much like a life sentence. As Zeenat tries to befriend her to convince her for help she discovers Meera's struggles and motivates her to break the shackles and claim what's rightfully hers.Acting (9/10): This is perhaps Aayesha Takia's best and the only serious performance in her career after Socha Na Tha. Her portrayal of a very young widow, who isn't able to understand the restrictions but somehow makes peace with it, is brilliant. Gul Panaag is good overall but lacked impact in intense scenes where Aayesha Takia was very comfortable. Girish Karnad, playing Aayesha's father in law who is far more worried about his "haveli" and so-called reputation than anything else in the world is impressive. He is one of the few actors who are equally effective in both, positive and negative, characters. Shreyas Talpade, playing a Rajasthani local who helps Gul Panaag reach Aayesha Takia, is good with his dialogues, comic timing and Rajasthani accent. Overall, the movie was well supported in terms of acting. Direction (7/10): Nagesh Kukunoor was impressive. His tendency to spend time on the background of Meera's marriage (relationship with her husband in a conservative society) and portrayal of her aspirations gave a much deeper understanding of the character. Unfortunately, he didn't work that deep on Zeenat's character. The movie is a little baffling in the beginning and few times goes off track. The climax was great and justified the length. Overall (8/10): Overall, the movie is a great watch, especially for a predictable but still a very well executed story.

Peter Young Nagesh Kukunoor's Dor is perhaps the best film of 2006. It is a moving, inspiring and very involving piece. Sadly, such films, despite being generally well appreciated, get little notice amongst the majority of cine-goers and fail to do well commercially. I can't get it, because this one like many others has what it takes to be famous and widely popular. This is the story of two women: Zeenat and Meera. They are very different but they share the same experience. Zeenat is an independent, strong-minded and worldly Muslim woman. Meera is a traditional and highly disciplined girl whose life outlook is fairly old-fashioned and innocent. Both women have lost their husbands, only that while Meera's husband is no more, having reportedly been killed by accident, Zeenat still has a chance to get him back. That's where we get the film's main conflict: Zeenat's husband is the one held responsible for Meera's husband's death. He is now awaiting his death penalty in Saudi Arabia (where both he and Meera's husband had been employed). As fate would have it, Meera is the only one who can save his life, as in accordance with Saudi law, if the widow of a deceased man signs a form of forgiveness, the murderer can be released from punishment. Convinced of her husband's innocence and determined to save him, Zeenat sets on a journey to Rajasthan to find Meera and plead for help. Their acquaintance and ensuing friendship is what brings the film's best moments, all that while Meera is still unaware of Zeenat's true identity and the purpose of her visit. Both women find solace in each other, particularly Meera, who, inspired by Zeenat's attitude, discovers her inner strength and starts looking at life in a whole new way. Dor is such a riveting movie experience. Movies of this sort, which are often labelled 'arty films', are generally known for their slow pace, but here there isn't a single dull moment. It is excellent in writing, direction and acting, and is consistently engaging. The script is stupendous and is effectively developed. Everything is kept simple and genuine, devoid of any possible redundancies or clichés. The movie is shot across breathtaking locales, and their exotic and cryptic beauty is perfectly captured by Kukunoor, who is of course aided by Sudeep Chatterjee's cinematography. The musical duo Salim-Sulaiman compose a winning soundtrack which efficiently fits the film's mood and cultural background and enhances the narrative. The film's instrumental theme song in particular is a true pleasure. The characters of Zeenat and Meera are excellently played by Gul Panag and Ayesha Takia, respectively. As Zeenat, Panag is thoroughly convincing in a strong yet subtle performance that is perhaps her best. Ayesha Takia is even more impressive in a performance that just keeps growing on you with every new scene right until the end. She looks cuter than ever and her raw simplicity is incredibly charming, while she brilliantly captures Meera's innocence, vulnerability, repression, and ultimately her inner growth and coming-of-age. The two ladies are supported by several actors who play their roles with utmost conviction, including Shreyas Talpade and Uttara Baokar. As opposed to what many others seem to think, I did not find Dor to be feminist or something of this sort. I see it as a culturally rich, fascinating and inspiring picture about humanity and friendship against the most impossible circumstances.

Avinash Patalay A very different body of work from Kukunoor's factory probably because its inspired from a Malayalam movie. Nevertheless, an outstanding piece which places Kukunoor's on a very different league (age and maturity, probably?).The grey shades of every character are depicted convincingly. Be it Girish Karnad who wants to save his palace, Nagesh Kukunoor as the opportunist building contractor or Prateeksha Lonkar as the jealous woman. Having said that the main protagonist Gul Panag is no exception either. Nevertheless, all of them put up a spectacular feat. The deglam roles of both heroines will be remembered for a long time to come. Finally Shreyas Talpade get a role which showcases his ammunition in terms of acting. Its good to see Uttara Baokar after a long sabbatical.The palaces, grandeur and beauty of Rajasthan is captured aesthetically. The costumes, language and the background score compliment to the authentic feeling. A few might complain about the pace of the movie though.The movie reminds me of Manthan and Mirch Masala and if this movie was made a decade ago, it would had Smita Patil and Shabana Azmi.Bottomline:: Extremely surreal experience

scorpiofrenz Dor is one of its kind..yet another masterpiece from Nagesh Kukunoor! It is a powerful story of love, friendship, trust, sorrow, laughter...you name an emotion, and you will probably find it somewhere in Dor! The storyline is strong..characters well-etched! It is a tale of going above and beyond for the one you love.The main protagonists Zeenat and Meera are as different as chalk and cheese! Zeenat is a strong-willed girl, who makes her own decisions, and is willing to bear the consequences. On the other hand, Meera comes from a traditional and orthodox background, and is the ideal obedient daughter-in-law to her obstinate in-laws! Her only ray of hope is her loving husband! Throughout the movie, we can see that each of these women has her own share of obstacles to overcome..and how they cross the hurdles in their path. Comic relief is provided by the Behrupiya..and his mimicry skills are worth applauding! Gul Panag is excellent as Zeenat. Ayesha Takia is very endearing as Meera. Shreyas Talpade has done a swell job as the "Behrupiya". He sure has a carved a niche for himself in Bollywood! The other cast is apt, and each character is well created and justified. The music is very good, and well-suited to the story.All in all, once again, an excellent piece of work from Nagesh Kukunoor!