Aakrosh (New)

Aakrosh (New)
	Producer: Kumar Mangat Director: Priyadarshan Starring: Ajay Devgn, Akshaye Khanna, Bipasha Basu, Paresh Rawal, Reema Sen Music: Pritam Lyrics: Irshad Kamil Genre: Thriller Recommended Audience: Adult Film Released on: 15 October 2010

After a series of No Brainer comedies, Priyadarshan finally comes up with a serious movie to reveal us the person who gave us Virasat. Ajay Devgn recently said in an interview that Priyadarshan should stop making comedies and focus on movies like these after his national award winning effort, Kanjeewaram. Call it coincidence but 2010 has seen hordes of films based in the interiors of India. After Ishqiya, Peepli (Live), Antardwand and Dabangg, Aakrosh is yet another film set in small town India. It's a complex but compelling narrative set around the issue of honor killings. Director Priyadarshan handles the subject proficiently, without compromising on the entertainment quotient. There's never a dull moment and the entire narrative keeps one riveted. Take off your eyes and there are chances you'll become confused.
Three friends, one of whom is a Dalit from a Medical College in Delhi go to watch Ramleela celebrations at the Dalit’s village in Jhanjhar somewhere in the interiors of Bihar and go missing. It's two months and there is no clue about their disappearance. The media and students’ movement demand action from the authorities. It's then that the government orders a CBI enquiry with officers Sidhant Chaturvedi (Akshaye Khanna) and Pratap Kumar (Ajay Devgn) to solve the case. Sidhant is the tech savy officer always seen with the laptop who has a good profile of solving the cases and a good knack of statistical data. Pratap is the more practical no nonsense type guy who believes in getting the work done through hooks or by crook. He also has lot of connections as he belonged to a nearby village and himself a low cast Dalit.

When they reach Jhanjhar, they realize that they are not welcome there. They find it difficult to solve the case as the local police and other authorities are a part of Shool Sena, which is responsible for illicit activities. Sidhant and Pratap also face Ajatshatru Singh (Paresh Rawal), a ruthless police officer who misuses his power. Not only that even the locals don't support the investigation. It's with the help of Roshni (Amita Pathak), the daughter of a rich and powerful villager, and Geeta (Bipasha Basu), who's Aiatshatru's wife and Pratap's former love, that the investigation moves ahead. A bewildering turn of events ensue.

Priyadarshan takes his time to build the story in the first half, which is comparatively slow paced. Once that is done, you find yourself gripped. The inexorable and brooding story-telling pattern is replete with twists. The issue of honor killings is used as a backdrop, in this high octane action thriller. Mind you, the action does get gory. The violence on the Dalits at times gets exaggerated and the film is strictly not for kids. Some poignant scenes like the way the judge passes a hurried judgment as he feels claustrophobic make you cringe. The scene in which Ajatshatru Singh listens to cricket commentary while Sachin Tendulkar is batting in his 90s deserves special mention.

Arun Kumar's editing is decent but the first half could have been pruned for a much better impact. The couple of songs are a deterrent. Tirru's choreography is appealing, with some brilliant shots. Dialogues by Aditya Dhar are impactful. There's nothing great about Pritam's music.

Ajay Devgn gives a superb performance. He has an inimitable panache, which is amazing. Watch out for the scene where he narrates his tragic childhood while ironing his shirt, the dialogue delivery is impeccable. There's something between him and trains. After OUATIM, there's yet another train sequence featuring him in this film. While the former was deftly done, the latter appears farcical. Akshaye Khanna is impressive. After Deewangee, the chemistry between Ajay and Akshaye clicks even in Aakrosh. Paresh Rawal is outstanding. He may even get a Filmfare Award nomination in what is his second negative role after Rann this year. He's so good in his bad avatar that you are full of disdain each time he appears on screen. Amita Pathak is good. Bipasha Basu is miscast. It's difficult to imagine her as a tormented wife. Her two phases have a very stark contrast. Sameera Reddy is passable in the item number.

After watching Aakrosh you will feel exhausted (albeit in a good way!) but please be aware of the excessive violence depicted which puts the gloss off an otherwise superb action thriller!

Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey

Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey
	Producer: Sunita Gowariker, Ajay Bijli, Sanjeev K Bijli Director: Ashutosh Gowariker Starring: Abhishek Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Vishakha Singh, Sikandar Kher Music: Sohail Sen Lyrics: Javed Akhtar Genre: Historic Recommended Audience: Parental Guidance Film Released on: 03 December 2010

Gowariker’s Lagaan till today, is regarded to be a cult classic for many a reason – its inclusion of cricket (India’s most loved sport) mixed with patriotism; and although the story is simplistic and the idea standard, it had an execution that deserved applause, with each form of detailing, right from the character graph to perfectionism in the Avadhi dialect and finally the cinematography and production design. Though many consider it to be his best till date, I personally feel that his Swades and Jodhaa Akbar are far better, connecting with a more universal audience due to commendable treatment of its writing. While people stopped believing in Ashutosh Gowariker post What’s Your Raashee?, I considered it a beautiful film and my faith never wavered, which is why the news of Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey heightened my anticipated for the film. Plus, this being a period film makes it more enticing due to Gowariker’s success with his previous films which gave many viewers immense satisfaction.
The story chosen (a true story of the 1930 revolution of Chittagong, the then part of India) is unique, untried and more or less an interesting story to remake on celluloid. Besides, this is an adaptation of a book, which should have been even challenging for the makers. And for those who have read the book, they might find the on-goings interesting. I personally haven’t read the book but I have ample knowledge of the uprising and I’m pretty sure characters wouldn’t have been as overdramatic as they’ve been portrayed in places. Apart from the portrayal of the characters of Surjya Sen and Kalpana Datta (well-written and restrained for the most part) the other characters are either too moody or nahin-kehdo-ki-yeh-jhoot-hai types. The patriotic fever is correctly captured without the convenience of xenophobia in the screenplay, and Gowariker should be commended for that. But despite that, the movie lags in the pre-intermission reels, so much that the normal viewer will pull their hair out and wonder if a movie could be any slower.

And for some scenes, it’s like the makers really want to force-feed us – and this unfortunately happens in those scenes where this isn’t needed. Take, for example, the first scene, where they spend a minute and a half showing the kids playing football, and the conflict taking half a minute more, with prolonged discussions about getting their lands back adding up to another minute and a half, making the whole scene very wordy and lengthy. After this there’s Surjya Sen’s extended introduction and the fact that he “loves his friend to death”. In that scene, his friend suddenly turns up and they have a discussion about how he was beaten to death and all he said was “Vande Mataram.” Surely there’s at least five better ways to write and emote that dialogue!

The other odd thing about the film is the timing of the songs. Post Nirmal’s meeting with Sen, he says he’s going to meet his girlfriend Pritilata, and then out of nowhere a song breaks out before they play badminton – oh and wait, that’s lip-synced! And the songs keep coming during the pre-intermission phase, acting like speed-breakers to an already slow-moving car. The worst part during this phase are the glitches in setting the base of the world which the viewer should be transported into. Chittagong was part of Bengal, and despite that Surjya Sen writes the plan on the blackboard in Hindi to explain to his “comrades” five days before the plan’s commencement. And I wonder why; is it because they suddenly forgot Bengali? People will argue with me regarding this, telling me that they would have wanted everyone to understand what he had written, but this certainly takes out the authenticity in the film, thus making it a flaw.


Besides that, there’s the characters trying to overdo the accent as far as names are concerned. Poor Padukone keeps shifting between “Pritilata” and “Pritilota” to call her friend (played by Vishaka Singh) in the film. And even though she has done an otherwise excellent job in the film, her accent is off the mark. Kalpana is herself forcefully called “KolPona” when her name is casually pronounced “Call-pona”. Details like this should make a period film stronger and the audience tends to forgive you on the pace, but then when both pace and detailing are uneven, people tend to notice while biting their nails waiting for something to happen. Once the intermission arrives you breathe a sigh of relief, wondering if the second half will be as slow.

Thankfully, the film isn’t as slow in the second half – in fact, it suddenly picks up pace out of nowhere and proceeding move to the nail-biting pre-climax portion, finally reaching the climax, where – again – Abhishek decides to talk to the English judge in Hindi. I’m sure the director must have imagined a scene of two different ideologies where language differences act as testimony, but this just felt awkward. But this is easily ignored as pronto comes a profound climax that disturbs you but at the same time, makes you proud of what the “real” revolutionaries might have done to fight for the freedom of India. However due to the above reasons you still leave the theater with mixed emotions as far as the film is concerned.

What redeems the movie somewhat are the performances. Abhishek Bachchan is powerful as Surjya Sen, but you wonder if his one dimensional expressions throughout are indicative of his wider limitations as an actor. In fact, surprisingly, post the unconvincing act in Break Ke Baad, Deepika Padukone here outsmarts Bachchan as far as the acting is concerned. Sikandar Kher is mind-blowing. His emotions are powerful, especially in scenes of shootout. This guy is a terrific actor and need good roles to showcase his immense potential to rise up the ladder. Others are convincing.

To conclude, what was expected to be a fervent exhilarating patriotic movie turns out to be more of a documentary, which makes the movie feel like a history lesson so after the first few minutes don’t be surprised if you find yourself distracted (either fidgeting with your hair or picking your nose or looking around the class for something more interesting than the teacher yakking) and wondering where the entertainment quotient was to be found. Mr. Gowariker, we hope you get back to the form that brought us the likes of Swades and Lagaan, not in comparison perhaps but in treatment at least.