आख़री रास्ता

Film was well made , AB was the star of the movie , no doubt , but again Sridevi's brilliance cannot be ignored. Again , when ever Sridevi on screen , film's level is lifted.

Aakhree Raasta is a basic story about revenge. 25 years After being released from prison for the Rape of his wife that he did not commit. Amitabh goes on a quest of Revenge on the three men responsible. Stopping him from these murders and threats are his very own son. His son also played by Amitabh Bachchan is not aware that this man who has threatened to kill these 3 mens is actually his father. This is an enjoyable Police action drama. The older Amitabh delivers a very powerful performance as the emotionally angry old man, hungry for revenge. The movie also Stars the very Talented Sri devi, who was the Top actress at the time. The films weakness would be some of the unnecessary flashbacks and slow pacing. The movie is almost 3 hours long and could do with a lot of editing. The movie still succeeds in entertaining. Just Another Amitabh Classic not to be missed.

When Amitabh did the film Shakti with Dilip Kumar, it was the passing of the torch from the previous champion to the reigning champion. People spoke of how the old master had outdone the new champion with his performance. 14 years later we were to see an older Amitabh with the role reversed. Who would be the actor to reprise the role of the young upstart? Step forward... Amitabh!!! The performances given by Amitabh in the dual role are better than the performances given by Amitabh and Dilip in Shakti.

I watched the entire film with a tear in my eye. When you put yourself in the father's position what would you do? Or as the son, could you really follow duty given the circumstances? I know that I couldn't...

This film is very well made and performances are strong. If I was asked to recommend a film to show a great performance from Amitabh, this would be it. I would recommend this film over Sholay, Deewar and even my all time favourite Amitabh movie... Agneepath. Just get hold of a copy of this film and see a master of cinema give a devastating performance.

Amitabh has done a good job, in the father role (David), although he is shown aged and with a rugged beard. Amitabh always outperforms in angry, emotionally charged and frantically suspenseful roles. While portraying anguished roles in tough situations ridden with crises and brazen suspense, Amitabh is second to none.

His dialogue delivery and screen presence is a feast for the eyes when he utters the deep rooted words with stoic vengeance bursting from his moist smoldering eyes. He has always excelled in melodramatic and angry scenes which happens to be the culmination of his acting prowess.

With Dewaar, Sholay, Shakti and Kabhi Kabhi(to a lessor extent), this movie qualifies to be a must see picture, with all the suspense which would defy Alfred Hitchcock's effects and all the melodrama which would overshadow the skills of William Wyler.

In the 1980s, Amitabh Bachchan starred in several movies, most of which were action films and most of which I personally disliked despite being his fan. Aakhree Raasta is actually one of the better action movies he appeared in at that time mainly because of its well-written script and of course his own presence. The movie does have some typical action scenes and an unrealistic portrayal of corruptness and injustice, but the entire revenge track is entertaining and is interesting to watch. One has to remember that while the movie tries to show substance by portraying one man's pain, it is still a masala movie which in general is not to be taken seriously.

This is the story of David, whose young wife was raped by a corrupt politician, committed suicide, and David himself was accused of murdering her and got jailed for 24 years. As he gets freed, he is determined to take revenge on the three men who are responsible for his imprisonment: the rapist, a police inspector, and a doctor, all of whom had testified against him in court. But a young police inspector is there to try to stop him, his name is Vijay, and he is actually his son, who never knew of his real father's existence, being brought up by David's best friend Mahesh.

Where melodrama and romance go, the movie is a bit lacking and overdone though it has its moments. I mostly liked the sequences showing the interaction between the old Bachchan, namely David, and Sridevi's Vinita, who plays his son's love interest. There was something moving in it, which showed his humanity and her understanding of his longstanding pain. But the movie mostly works as an action thriller. The way David plans to kill all three of his enemies is fantastically done, and the many scenes of suspense are well handled, creating an entertaining picture for the family.

The main reason the film works is without a doubt Amitabh Bachchan's performance. He plays the two characters very differently which makes it difficult to believe that it is actually the same person. The one who gives him full scope to win is the David character. He is totally convincing while playing a fifty plus-year-old man and is likable and moving. Sridevi is very funny as Vinita, though sadly her voice is dubbed (but let it be, the dubbing artist is none other than the great Rekha, and she does it excellently). Anupam Kher also provides some comic relief, and Jaya Pradha does her brief role well.

The film's ending is excellent and some of the songs are nice, particularly "Gori Ka Saajan". Aakhree Raasta is not a particularly great movie, but it is an enjoyable one, mainly watchable for Bachchan's memorable performance.