AGNEEPATH

Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Sanjay Dutt, Rishi kapoor, Om Puri, Priyanka Chopra

Director:  Karan Malhotra

Let me tell you this, I HAVE NOT SEE THE ORIGINAL AGNEEPATH, thus this will not be a comparative review, rather a movie review about a remake.

First up, thank you Mr. Karan Johar for not playing your trademark KKKB (Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham) soundtrack  on the  production house credits and just sticking to the soundtrack of Agneepath to tell your viewers that this movie is produced by Dharma Production. That was well done because this movie does not do justice to your set of family sob stories or Romantic flicks.

Now for the cast, much has been typed/spoken/debated/discussed earlier about  the casting in this movie.  Am only trying to find answers to some questions I had.

1.       Can Hrithik Roshan reprise Amithabh Bachan’s ikonic VIJAY DHEENANATH CHOUHAN?  

Well, you find smart direction here, the new age VDC (read as the characters name, saves time reading/typing the whole thing againJ) is not a flashy guy and keeps a very low profile, thus he does not have to match Mr. AB’s Charisma.

2.       Sanjay Dutta as “KANCHA” the Villain? He did look menacing in the promos though!

Sanju baba does make up for one heck of a villain, the one who can outsmart the hero by looks and on performance, though  he comes off as hard rock in some scenes, he does leave a menacing feel  in your mind. Block one Film Fare (Best Villain) for him

3.       Why did they have to remake this movie, off all the other good old Hindi movies?

Well, Mr Johar clarifies that in the opening credits when he quotes that Agneepath was his dad’s fav movie and he was only trying to remake it for his dad (Guess he is trying to make up for some money his dad lost in the original version, I have heard that the original  AGNEEPATH was a dud at the BO)

                                The movie starts off in a Village called “Mandwa” which is supposedly an island village near Mumbai. There is this good school master who is trying to do good deeds to improve his village and he has managed to get permission to make SALT. There enters Kancha, who is the son of the village pradhan and he tricks the whole village in to leasing their lands to him so that he can invest in the Salt company,his true intentions are to make Cocain in these lands. The master-ji convinces the people not to give their lands, and Kancha very easily eliminates the master by hanging him in front of all the villages after turning the whole village against their beloved master.

This leaves the poor VDC and his mom without any support and they set sail to Mumbai. VDC is the angry young boy who wants to avenge his father’s death and free Mandwa from Kancha’s evil clutches, who turns Mandwa in to India’s cocain farm with the villagers as his slaves. That is when Rishi kapoor enters the frame as the dreaded “Lala” who is the Don of Mumbai , VDC joins Lala at a very young age (after Killing an inspector) and as in all the movies grows on to becomes Lala’s most trusted lieutenant

By now everyone can imagine how the movie is about to shape up and just then the director throws in a surprise twist in the story where VDC actually aspires to become the DON of Mumbai apart from eliminating Kancha. How VDC manages to eliminate kancha and does he become Mumbai’s don forms the rest of the movie.

The cast has done justice to their roles, Hrithick sticks subdued performance to portray VDC. Sanju baba is menacing as Kancha, Rishi kapoor is the surprise element as Lala (he has proved that years of experience enable one to carry out any roles to perfection), Om Puri is as always is fantastic as Police officer Gaitonde and Priyanka Chopra is convincing as Kaali (VDC’s love interest)

+ves

The director has stuck to the basic plot of the movie

Good performance by all the actors is definitely the highlight of the movie.

-ves

                Screenplay could have been a bit more brisk, the movie gets a big too drag towards the end.

Loud THUD THUD music does not add any pace to a slow screen play and it’s high time the music directors understood this fact.

Verdict

                Though my verdict in no way decide the fate of the movie or it’s BO collections, I thought I should have a verdict to review as it’s the norm

                AGNEEPATH is not MUST WATCH movie. The movie is a remake which has been remade brilliantly; it has good performances by its cast. I would go with 3/5 for movie.