Ghatak: Lethal

Of all the Indian action films I have seen recently, including Sholay, China Gate, and Bichoo, I would have to place Ghattak at the top. There may be others but I have yet to see them. The action and fight scenes are very well done and realistic which shows that considerable effort went into making them just right. Too often, we see ultra special effects try to make up for sloppy editing and slip-shod action. Nothing looked fakey in Ghattak which enhanced the overall effect and proved that Bollywood can make decent action flics after all. Ghattak was also not marred by feeble comedy attempts and the songs blended well with the action so that nothing slowed the pace of the film.

This is one of the better action films to come out of Bollywood. After 'Ghayal' and 'Damini', the Santoshi-Sunny team has done it again. The idea for the movie came from a quote of Mahatma Gandhi in which he says that if he had to choose between cowardice and violence, he would have chosen violence.

Beginning with Om Puri's character getting killed by the henchmen of Katia(Danny Denzongpa) in Bombay, we go to Banaras, where Kashi(Sunny Deol) is a wrestler and dutiful son. His father(Amrish Puri) has a throat problem so they go to Bombay to treat it. Once in Bombay, the two face a culture shock. Kashi is amazed at the people's apathic attitude.

Due to circumstances, Kashi ignites the enmity of Katia and his six brothers.

The action in the movie is fast paced and relentless. You can feel the escalating tension on screen. Performances are superb, the direction is tight (although it took 5 years to complete this movie).

Sunny Deol has given one of the more powerful performances of his life in this movie. Amrish Puri has given a great performance, comedic for the first half-hour of the film. Danny is menacing, however his get-up could have been better(his hair is silly). Meenakshi gave a decent performance. The songs are good and are mercifully few in number.

All in all, it is a great action movie.

Enjoy!

Ghatak review:

Planned in early '90s with Kamal Haasan in the lead, Ghatak finally made it as a 1996 Diwali release with Sunny Deol spearheading it. Inspite of the delay, Rajkumar Santoshi's stellar execution didn't make the film appear stale at all and the movie became a runaway hit trouncing the multistarrer Sapoot it clashed with and also held well against Aamir Khan- Karisma Kapoor's "smooch" hit Raja Hindustani which released shortly after it.

Sunny Deol was outstanding as the rustic brahmin Kashi who brings his ailing foster father (Amrish Puri, excellent) for treatment to the big bad Mumbai. The suburban 'basti' he lives with his brother is literally terrorized by the local goon Kathiya (Danny Denzongpa, menacing) and his six brothers. "Saat bhai hai hum, ek se ek sher'. Inspiration from Satte Pe Satta, perhaps!!

Kashi gets on the wrong side of Kathiya and bros and in a sordid scene, they literally leash his old father to become a dog in front of the entire neighborhood. "Kutta bana diya babuji ko", Kashi cries loudly in a highly emotional scene.

Unlike Santoshi's earlier hit Ghayal (1990) which was highly sophisticated in nature, Ghatak was ekdum raw and in-your-face kinda movie. The main villain Kathiya was so caricaturish that he keeps a leopoard as a pet and indulges in a bloodsporty wrestling matches to satisfy his hunger for violence. The music was restricted to one good item number- 'Koi jaaye toh le aaye'- picturised on Mamta Kulkarni who looked damn sweet in it.

Meenakshi Seshadri was repeated from Ghayal to play Sunny's heroine but her role wasn't as strong as Santoshi's earlier movies with her. Ghatak was a complete Sunny Deol show and he didn't disappoint the audience at all. The crowd at New Citylight, Matunga where I saw it clapped and cheered everytime he finished off one of Kathiya's brothers. Finally, this is a pure "mardon wali movie" with raw brawn and the dashing Sunny in full form. Chak de Deol!!

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.

Sunny Deol has been my hero for a very long time, and I consider Ghatak to be the film in which he plays his most intense and endearing role.

Plot: Shambu Nath (played the late Amrish Puri) lives in Banaras. Shambu Nath has been coughing up blood for some time, so his adopted son Kashi Nath (Sunny Deol), wants him to go and visit his son Shiv Nath (K.K Raina) who has married and moved (without his father's consent) to the outskirts of a big city and has setup a small business of a bookstore there.

They arrive, and are welcomed by Shiv. Shiv arranges for a medical checkup at a hospital for Shambu.

One day it so happens that Kashi defends a helpless woman (played by Ila Arun) against some thugs. This sparks off a raging war between the leader of the thugs called Katya played by (Danny Denzongpa).

Will Shambu be cured? Will Kashi prevail against the tyranny of Katya? See the film to find out.

The film is directed by Shree Rajkumar Santoshi who has directed such blockbuster hits like Damini (1993), Ghayal (1990), Pukar (2000), Andaz Apna Apna(1994) and China Gate(1998).

Other notable stars in the film are Om Puri, Meenakshi Sheshadri, Tinnu Annand, Mukesh Rishi, Rohini Hattangadi, and Viju Khote.

Rajkumar Santoshi's Ghatak makes its point loud and clear. However, it's not preachy and provides a proper plot with entertainment. Still, I feel this is one of his most underrated pictures. This was the third film with the hit trio of Rajkumar Santoshi, Sunny Deol and Amrish Puri. How one wishes they did more films together after that.

Shambu Nath is sick and needs treatment. His adopted son, Kashi takes him to mumbai to live with Shambu's real son and family. After a few days, Kashi notices something about the people in the city. He notices that they fear the gangster of that area by the name of Kathiya. One circumstances leads to another and Kashi has found himself in a war with Kathiya. However, the war is more than just a war against a gangster, Kashi is fighting against cowardice.

The best thing about the film is that it's not boring and keeps the viewer intrigued all through. Not to forget, the movie has a handful of hard-hitting scenes.

-The murder of Sachdev in the beginning. -Sunny's first scene with Danny -Danny torturing Sunny and Amrish -Sunny's revenge -Climax

However, the best scenes involve Sunny Deol and Amrish Puri together. The scene when Sunny breaks down in front of his dying father is heart-breaking.

Music is good.

Rajkumar Santoshi's direction is excellent and there's no doubt on how good of a director he is when he has the right script.

All the actors play their part perfectly. Tinnu Annand, Mukesh Rishi etc. All are great. Meenakshi is also first rate.

However, the 3 performances that make Ghatak special are of Sunny Deol, Amrish Puri and Danny. Sunny Deol is perfect for the role of the fearless man trying to live a decent life. He proves how underrated he is an actor. Amrish Puri is just brilliant! He's loud when required and controlled when he needs to be. A perfect act. Danny is a strong villain, and to go up against a strong hero such as Sunny, one needs a villain strong as Danny.

Overall, a great story about the underdog's fight against a very scared society. Recommended!