Film Review - Drishyam

 

Buried Secrets

Film: Drishyam

Cast: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shriya Saran

Directed by: Nishikant Kamat

Duration: 2 hrs 42 mins

Rating:  * * *

Based on the hit Malayalam suspense/thriller of the same name directed by Jeethu Joseph and starring Mohanlal, Drishayam was also made in Tamil as Paapnasham with Kamal Hassan essaying the lead role. The Hindi version directed Nishikant Kamat is a frame to frame remake of the original with no additional contribution whatsoever, except for changing the location – this one is set in Goa.

With the core story inspired by the Japanese novel The Devotion of Suspect X (Ekta Kapoor has officially bought the rights for it) Drishyam has enough fodder to keep you entertained for a large part of the running length which is slightly long. It also belongs to that endangered genre of suspense and mystery movies.  So if you don’t know whether the butler did it or not, you are in for a few thrills.

Set in the fictional village of Pandolim in Goa Ajay Devgn plays Vijay, a cable operator who lives happily with his wife (Shriya Saran) and daughters. We are told more than once that he didn’t study beyond 4th standard and his wife managed to finish her matriculation. 

Life is a breeze till calamity strikes. A young man gets killed his body buried and their peaceful lives are threatened. The man happens to be the son of the top cop (Tabu) who will leave no stone unturned to find out the fate of her son. She also gets to make an entry usually reserved for males. Sitting in darkness while torturing two suspects, she walks towards the light and that happens in slow motion - enough indication that we are being introduced to an all important character.

The cat and mouse chase begins - a police inspector (Kamlesh Sawant) with whom Vijay doesn’t get along, is hot on their heels but the chauthi paas common man is not one to give in easily. It all comes to an end after some engrossing twists and turns.

The Malayalam version had a bit of flab which is also seen here – both the film clock the same time, even though it looked like the original film took longer to establish the plot and cut to the chase. While the family bonding element it essential it should not take almost an hour to set it up.  In the end, Drishyam comes across as a thriller and not so much as a family drama. 

In many shots even the way the camera pans and tracks is the same though thanks to cinematographer Avinash Arun, the Hindi version has some brightly lit interiors.

The only other creativity shown by the film makers here is a nod to the director of the original film Jeethu Joseph where Devgn signs a register with the director’s name.

The acting is just about passable. Devgn seems to be following a template and doesn’t bring anything new to the table. Shreya Saran and the reliable Tabu have their moments. 

On the whole, Drishyam is worth a watch because it has many positive elements. 

Published in The Navhind Times on 2nd Aug 2015

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Film Review - Action Jackson

Double Trouble

Film: Action Jackson

Cast: Ajay Devgn, Sonakshi Sinha, Orange suits, Glass eyed man

Directed by: Prabhudheva

Duration: 2 hrs 26 mins

Rating: *  

"Na commitment na appointment, only punishment" thunders the hero. True, Action Jackson has no commitment to a sensible script and this film is one appointment we could do without.  But if a punishment is what director Prabhudheva was intending to unleash on the unsuspecting audience, then he has succeeded. And how.

Regressive, illogical, sexist, over the top, ludicrous are some of the words that come to mind as an instant reaction after watching this travesty of a film. Somehow, Prabhudheva   struck gold at the box office with films like Wanted, Rowdy Rathore and R..Rajkumar which were pretty awful in their own right, but this one takes the cake. 

The mind boggles to think of the story even for the purpose of writing this review.  There are two Ajay Devgn’s in the film, lets deal with the first one - Vishy is a Bambaiyya goon who could single handedly defeat the army of say Saint Kitts and Nevis or Kingdom of Tonga. Sonakshi Sinha plays a character whose I.Q is not only low, if a test is done, I suspect it come in the negative. She works in a corporate office and along with her other low I.Q friends is convinced that is she sees the goons family jewels, her luck will change. And to achieve her objective she makes several attempts and even tries to pull his pants. Meanwhile, you want to bury your head in a sand pit.

Now meet Devgn No.2, a lookalike of No.1, who is simple called A.J. He is an assassin from Bangkok, an expert with the Samurai sword and works for a don (Anand Raj) with one glass eye and a tonsured head. All his henchmen, with the exception of A.J of course, wear orange suits. Even the Dutch don’t wear so much orange at a football game. 

The bone of contention is the Don’s sister Marina (Manasvi Mamgai) who has the hots for A.J after he rescues her from another set of bad guys.  The feeling is not mutual as A.J is going steady with Anusha (Yami Gautam) making Marina the most desperate woman in our solar system.  The two lookalikes then have to help each other till a fight to the finish is arranged leaving you brain dead.

People slap each other for no particular reason and women are punched in the face and if there was a race for pregnant women to run in high heels, Yami Gautam would win it hands down.  Prabhudheva ji also tries to be a Tarantino and Roberto Rodriguez in the action scenes and needless to say, he fails. 

There are plenty of routine dance numbers and the dialogues are completely inane, like this one “My way or the sky way” whatever that is supposed to mean.

Sonakshi Sinha is getting used to and becoming an expert at these dumb characters. But whatever has got into Ajay Devgn? Last year it was Himmatwala and now this. 

Move over Sajid Khan, you have stiff competition from Prabhudheva. 

Published in The Navhind Times on 7th Dec 2014

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Film Review- Singham Returns

 

Police Story

Film: Singham Returns

Cast: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor, Amole Gupte

Directed by: Rohit Shetty

Duration: 2 hrs 22 mins

Rating: * * 1 / 2

Basking on the success of Singham, Rohit Shetty returns with the sequel that is solely aimed at pleasing the masses. There is action, romance, at times it is preachy but above all, it gives the audience what they've come to see - the hero kicking the baddies ass. In one scene, bullets are fired literally on the either buttock of the villains. The crowd is happy, it is their moment of catharsis.

Hopefully one day, Rohit Shetty will make a film with a screenplay that doesn’t play to the gallery all the way. He has the talent and flair to make a taut action thriller but why bother with all that when the cash register keeps ringing and rings so loud with stories that cater to the lowest common denominator?

The film is a tribute to the police force, we are told how such few number of policemen looks after millions of citizens in Mumbai, where the story is situated. Bajirao Singham (Ajay Devgn) is now a senior police officer working with a thoroughly dedicated team, including inspector Daya. A scene involving the inspector in the climax is a hoot.

When he is not catching the bad guys or shooting them with an aim that will make our Common Wealth Games shooters proud, he spends time with Avni (Kareena Kapoor), they don't want to get married to each other but there is parental pressure. You know the drill. Avni's character is purely to fulfill the glamour quotient.

The villain here is a godman (Amole Gupte, over the top but highly effective) who is also a conman and his dirty deeds are done dirt cheap. He is hand in glove with a politician (Zakir Hussain) who is trying to counter the principled and noble Guruji (Anupam Kher).  

      

The stage is set for jeeps and cars to be blown, tankers to be rammed and bullets to be sprayed in this no expense barred enterprise. In between, Shetty also evokes some emotions - the plight of the widows of police constables or the scene where a mother from a slum challenges talks about their plight and challenges Singham.

The film is not devoid of humor either, in fact it is fun when it doesn’t take itself seriously. The problem lies with the basic story and screenplay writer Yunus Sajawal's filmography with endless duds boggles the mind yet he continues to find favor. 

Shetty knows how the manipulate the feelings of the viewer, given the grievances with regards to corruption and apathy to problems, the audience is more than happy to see a revolt on the screen. For good measure, an episode of communal harmony is also thrown in.  

The action is always something to look forward to in a Rohit Shetty's film, it is in genes after all (his father was the legendary fight master Shetty). While there is no money shot action in the climax, a shoot-out near the railway track is well executed. 

While Kareena does her best to infuse life in her otherwise dull character, Ajay Devgn plays his role with conviction. On the whole Singham Returns has its moment and those who know what to expect from it won't be disappointed.       

Published in The Navhind Times on 17th August 2014

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