Thakshak

By 1995,I had read and heard a lot about the great movies Govind Nihalani had made but I had seen none of them. One afternoon while watching a weekly programme India This Week on DD-Metro I saw the preview of his then forthcoming movie-Drohkaal. Alongwith the preview there was series of behind the camera scenes and interviews about the movie which had wooed audience in film-festivals even before its release. From what I saw I realised that Drohkaal was a hard-hitting movie. At that time I was a fan of Ajay Devgan stunts but his carrier was on a low phase. I just dreamt that if ever Govind made a commercial film with Ajay Devgan as its hero what will be like.4 years later when Thakshak was released I smiled pleasantly on seeing that the dream was realised. However the flopping of the film made me feel that it is not good. Then one of my friends called it a damp-squib as he had a big hang-over of Vaastav-on similar lines and released around the same time. In all this I almost missed watching Thakshak. However when one of my other hostel-mate gave me rave review about it and said that it is a must watch for intense movie buffs we brought the VCD to hostel and I still remember that we watched it and loved it.

The story of Thakshak is brilliant. Although the concept of land-shark was shown in Mahesh Bhatt's Kabzaa-1986 as well but in Thakshak it is shown in a really complex way. The police-crime-politics nexus is also shown brilliantly. The movie shows a complexity in almost every character and it is portrayed in a good way. Like all famous Nihalani movies-Ardh Satya,Aakrosh and Drohkaal,Thakshak has a strong undercurrent of violence.

Ajay Devgan gives a brilliant performance as Ishan. Although the movie did not do wonders for him still he got acclaim for his portrayal of a man caught in a web of crime. It is totally different from his performance in Company-2002. Tabu as Suman is excellent. She gives new dimension to the role and proves that even heroines can make a solid impact in violent male oriented movies. The mature romantic scenes between the couple are very well executed and one cannot believe that this is the same pair which acted in potboilers liek Vjaypath and Haqeeqat. Amrish Puri is alsobrilliant. A regular of Nihalani Puri again proves his mettle as an actor. However the performance which haunts you the most is that of Rahul Bose.

The plot is quite simple. Ajay Devgan is part of the Bombay mafia - he meets Tabu - falls in love - and wants to get out of the underworld and start a decent life. The difference was the direction, screenplay and the music.

Govind Nihalani has made a really slow paced movie - but it is never boring. With a lot of slow motion scenes interweaved with the actual storyline the movie moves at anything but a fast pace. However no bit of the movie is boring, superfluous or unnecessary (apart from a couple of songs at the end - but someones got to please the masses).

All the characters put in a great performance - not the least being Tabu and Ajay. There were some good songs but by the end of the movie they seemed out of place.

All in all Thakshak is a different action movie. Not too much gruesome violence but with a lot more intensity and power in the dialogues and in the acting. I would easily give it a 9/10.

Thakshak is basically over 2 and a half hours of Drama + Romance + Music + Some action as topping .

The film is watchable but perhaps only once.

Story is about a local goon who works for an underworld don and owes allegiance to his wayward son as his father and the don would be friends. thus taking part in all the latter's illegal activities. Things take a turn when his loved ones and innocent people get affected and soon he has to battle his conscience and work.

The good - The acting , the storyline, the action sequences, the music

The bad- the film drags at many laces. They have tried to fit in as may song sequences as possible withing the time frame, so songs keep coming up between scenes when there is no "Indication" for them. And also the editing is not continuous and smooth. But this is an issue with MOST Bollywood films of the 90's.

Moral of this film : 1.Never join hands with criminals and outlaws. 2.Never try to advice or argue with alcoholics and drug addicts

This movie is quite under rated. Yes it has a low budget, but it has some great character actors and an intriguing story line. But credit has to be given to new comer Rahul Bose whose turn as the hyper violent and unpredictable Sunny is terrifying and one of the best portrayals of a psychotic character in Hindi cinema since Shah Rukh Khans Darr.

Yes the pace is at times slow but the scenes with Rahul Bose and Ajay Devgan will have you on the edge of your seat. I hope to see Rahul Bose in more mainstream hindi cinema in the future as he has great acting talent and could even bridge the gap and enter into hollywood films.

hey guys, i say, 2 thumbs up for Govind Nilhani, this is one of the finest films i have ever seen about the underworld, and the intricate relations of dons and political leaders. this movie shows the actual way a gun is used by underworld don's. it does try to preach something to these people from ajay devgan's role too. rahul bose is at his best, an awesome performance by him. also ajay devgan, gives is acting career a boost using his eyes to convey his feelings.

the story line is simple and the usual one used and reused by all directors and producers, but what makes it different is its handling. it keeps on the edge of ur seat, till the end. it makes u think and analyze what u r seeing. every thing looks perfect, logical and to the point. this has made the pace of the film little slow, but that doesn't deny credit to all those who strived to make this movie the way we see it.

i would recommend u to watch this movie......i believe that bollywood too can give movies of great quality and substance to talk about.

rahul