Dec 13, 2005 08:06 PM
1492 Views
(Updated Dec 13, 2005 08:08 PM)
(b)If this movie sucks!!''(/b)
Those were the words I uttered to my movie buddy as he dragged to watch Amitabh in one of his more hip avatars. Having suffered through deewane hue paagal on his recommendation, plus being a huge fan of the original inspiration “Man on Fire”, I was in no mood for another inane remake from the Bollywood stables, and my mood was not improved when my friend tactfully told me that Arjun Rampal’s part has been fabricated for the Indian version. Breathing fire, yet internally impressed by the trailers and Amitabh’s new looks, I somewhat was getting comfortable when my friend (he the soothsayer) proceeded to tell me that the director of Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost was directing this.. as can be imagined my joy knew no bounds and having cursed the breath out of him, I slumped back into my seat, ready to waste what promised to be a good evening…..
What went down however, was a very very pleasant surprise (though it led me to a lot of abuse at my friends hand, who was (b)FINALLY(/b) proven right about a movie) and one which led me to believe that maybe not in story but in terms of overall presentation and direction, as well as script selection, Indian films are progressing.
Hello everyone, I’m back after a while, and as always it’s a pleasure. The long narrative aside, I hope to competently review and put forth my views on this recent watch. Having said that, lets go on to the review.
(b)Plot:(/b)
Bangkok. The city of pace, entertainment, development. And crime. A series of high profile kidnappings has left the top strata of businessmen concerned for the well being of their children. One such pair (Perizaad and Vikram Chatwal) wish to hire the best for their daughter Anamika (Baby Rucha). The best comes in the shape of Colonel Suryaveer Singh alias Surya (Amitabh) a man battling his demons and one who has a special aversion to kids Slowly and surely they start to bond when the worst happens. Anamika is kidnapped. What does Durya (injured after being shot numerous times) do to save the child and gain his redemption, and what part does Shekhar (Arjun) play in this whole story is what forms the remainder of the movie.
(b)Notable Scenes:(/b)
The scenes between Amitabh and Rucha.
Amitabh’s drunk scene where he relives his past and breaks down.
The scene in the barbershop, at the time of the first murder.
The methods he uses to get to the main villain.
Perizaad’s outburst at the inspectors.
(b)Pros:(/b)
The movie is extremely well shot, and moves along extremely quickly in the first half. The styling is great and the shot selection and direction on the whole speaks volumes of the director’s capability and contributes to the overall quality of the product. The performances are first rate, and the whole feel of the movie is on par with that of a Hollywood flick.
(b)Cons: (/b)
The biggest drawbacks that I saw in this movie were mainly that the second half starts slowing up a little bit for a while which dilutes things, until Amitabh really shifts into top gear, and mainly also the climax, which I felt was a little weak. Had the original ending been retained, the movie would’ve concluded powerfully, but obviously the director thought otherwise, maybe backing off thinking that Indian audiences would prefer seeing the hero live. Other than that I felt the movie made for quite good viewing.
(b)Direction:(/b)
After Mumbai se… I had made up my mind to not watch anything that this director comes up with, but I was in a for a pleasant surprise this time around. Mr. Lakhia has made up big time for that with this extremely well directed and sleekly shot film, and encompasses Bangkok beautifully. His camerawork and shot taking is to be commended, I can safely say that without his able direction, this movie would not have been half as impactful. Definitely a great comeback for him and now he has me looking forward to his next work.
(b)Performances:(/b)
Dayashankar Pandey, Akhilendra Mishra, Raj Zutshi and all the supporting crew play their roles well. Good to see that all the actors irrespective of length, have done well in their respective roles.
Perizaad Zorabian: Though this talented lady doesn’t have a very meaty role, she brings a charm to it and performs well with the material given to her doing well for herself in the confrontation scenes and specially when she gives her outburst just after the intermission. Hope this performance gets her recognition and better roles in the days to come.
Arjun Rampal: Whatta man. Built like a champ and got the looks of a Greek god. Good to see that this guy if given the opportunity can perform. I personally feel that he was hard done with, since his role is relegated to the background for much of the movie, however according to me his performance was pretty good and he definitely deserved more footage and importance than he got in the movie. A fine job in a role, which didn’t demand so much from an actor of his capability.
Baby Rucha: I was waiting to see this girl perform and I was quite amazed at her acting. Though her role wasn’t as challenging as say, Ayesha Kapur’s in Black, she managed to do extremely well throughout the movie without being irritating and over the top as most child actors can be. Her scenes with Amitabh are touching and that’s what leads the way for the big pay off at the end. A good performance from this cutie, whom I hope to see more in good roles in the future.
Amitabh Bachchan: I have most definitely saved the best for the last. The pivot of the movie, the pillar on which it stands, Ek Ajjnabee could not have been made 10% as effective had not Amitabh stood firm in the movie. His expressions body language and performance are on par with Denzel Washingtons in the original according to me. He is the lynchpin on whom this movie revolves and its safe to say that this barring the media hype is one of his better roles and better performances. Definitely a tour de force performance which could not have been done as well by any other actor.
Abhishek Bachchan and Lara Dutta add glamour to the proceedings and as always Sanju baba rocks the house with his item song.
(b)Conclusion:(/b)
A worthy remake of Man on Fire, Ek Ajnabee could have been better had the original ending been retained. However in my opinon this is probably the best Hollywood remake that has come out from the Indian industry stable. Cheers to Apoorva Lakhia, hope more such movies come in the future.
Anyhow ill sign off here, have to go and get that friend his ice cream, I hope that you enjoy the review as well as the movie. Id love to hear criticisms and comments since this was a review after a long time hence mistakes would be there, so hope to hear comments from you else a free DVD of Mr.Prime Minister and other post 1980 Dev classics as a gift ;-)
Till next time
Have fun
Faraz
