Aks

AKS is another one of those movies for which I've had the soundtrack for a very long time, but always held back from picking up the movie due to a sneaking suspiscion that it wouldn't be very good. It's also one of those movies that proves that my sneaking suspicions are actually lumbering buffoons, because actually it is (very good). I barely managed to make it through this movie without rushing through to right a review. After 30 minutes I was just blown away, and wanted to come wax lyrical on its virtues... but I thought I'd better wait and make sure it hung together until the end. I have to say that the second half of the movie isn't quite as tight as the first, though the curveball it throws at the midpoint certainly takes things in a very interesting direction, and the whole movie is very impressive.

The first thing that impressed me about AKS was the visuals. The movie has a very cool look, with striking cinematography and lighting that favour cold blues contrasted with occasional warm firey yellows. It's very sharply edited and features great art direction too. The next thing that impressed me even more was how *dark* the movie is - far darker than anything else I've seen from India, almost disturbing at times. Much of the credit for this has to go to Manoj Bajpai, who is tremendously sinister and charismatic as the villain - though the godly Amitabh Bachchan is just as charismatic and almost as sinister in the hero's seat.

Add to all this the complex and fascinating characters, razor sharp dialogue and the exploration of some fascinating themes, and Aks is surely a winner.

Amitabh plays a cop, in charge of political security. After the Defence Minister is assassinated, he gets on the trail of a political conspiracy, with the only lead being the possibility of finding the assassin. As he gets closer, he gets drawn in further and further to the situation himself - to lengths that he could never imagine.

Aks almost completely eschews humour, and avoids song and dance as much as is physically possible in a Bollywood movie, integrating the excellent songs from Anu Malik well into the movie's natural context for the most part. It's a gripping and intense movie, expertly directed by Rakesh Mehra - despite it being his feature film debut (I believe he comes from the advertising industry).

The first half of the movie is so tight and sharp that I almost cried at times. The second half loses focus a little bit, but still remains gripping and visually mesmerising. The whole movie easily registers as one of the best Hindi movies I've seen, and one of the best movies I've seen this year from any country or time.

This perhaps all sounds a little to hyperbolic, so I ought to acknowledge that the movie has flaws too. I can't actually think of any, but others may find it a little too dark and cynical; Definitely not a kids movie - there's some violence and quite a bit of eroticism that would probably get the movie an M rating in the US, or even an R if the ratings board were having a sensitive day. It's perhaps guilty of becoming overly melodramatic towards the end, but then how many movies aren't?

If you prefer your movies on the dark, intelligent and visually slick side of things, I'd say AKS is a must-buy.

I am a Big fan of Amitabh Bachchan. But forget that. I recommend all to watch this movie for at list one time. It is Awesome, stylish, powerful, great experience. Nice experiment from the Director. Hollywood like movie, but has the essence of Bollywood. I am just thrilled to watch how Big B acted in this movie. He was spellbinder, Superb!You will find Persona, style,anger,super coolness, toughness, naughtiness, frightening and also frightened shade in his Character. It's a complete package. I think it is one of the difficult and 'cult' character of the world cinema(including Bollywood and Hollywood). And you would be agree that the best All rounder of acting Mr. Amitabh Bachchan has done pure justice to the character. Manoj Bajpayee was tremendous. Also other actors and actresses were good too. But the ultimate winner is Big B. Singing himself two songs and his dancing will mesmerize you. In a nutshell, it is a classic movie. Still now i wait and search when this movie will be shown in TV channels----- And, feel sad that Indian audiences could not give this movie it's due. I will rate this movie 7 out of 10.

Must be one of the worst ever movies of the Big B. Hardly recognizable actors/actresses, any semantical storyline.

What kind of a movie is this?

That is not the kind of movie that Amitabh is renowned for.

I thought the movie AKS (meaning reflection) was just incredible. When it came out, it wasn't the customary type of Bollywood film that everyone was used to. This would be a good explanation of why it didn't do so well at the Box Office. Since people are used to song and dance features with limited story and this movie was heavy on story and limited on song and dance.

The movie borrows very lightly from the movies 'Face/Off' and 'Fallen'. Bachchan plays the role of a high-ranking cop, Manu Verma, who is assigned to protect an Indian politician. Manu Verma fails in his duty as the official is murdered and a floppy disk containing details of an assassination of another official is taken.

The chase is now on to stop the murderer Raghavan (Manoj Bajpai, who is extraordinary as a nutcase) at any cost. Manu catches the killer and during an escape attempt, both killer and cop shoot each other. The killer dies but his soul somehow manifests itself in Manu's body and Manu himself becomes the killer. The killer's soul, now in Amitabh's body, continues his reign of murder and mayhem.

Amitabh is amazing in his role as cop and killer. Nandita Das plays his wife convincingly and the age gap between the two is explained as well. Raveena Tandon is also very convincing as the stripper girlfriend of the killer.

If you're looking for a change of pace from the regular Bollywood flicks, this is definitely the movie you should watch. There's no 23 minute death scenes, or people living after being shot 44 times in the chest. I'd have to say it was one of the Amitabh's best performances of his career, not the best, but one of the best.

rakesh omprakash mehra is a man the advertising industry in india bows to. his short film for amul was hugely appreciated. his technical finesse could put any hollywood slam wham director to shame. i wish i could usher similar praise on his maiden directorial venture..aks. this could have been good as a 2 hour movie. but three slowwwwwwwwww hours of boredom which lead to a rather sloppy climax certainly make for your money's worth. and neither is this classic film noir. its just an ambitious attempt gone wrong. 2/5