Aakrosh

Watch or Not?: Definitely watch it as there is hardly any such good movies in Bollywood. and of course there is Ajay Devgan + Paresh Rawal.

As it happens, whenever you first hear about how great a movie is and then go n watch the movie, it just doesn't stands up to the expectation you have built it for the movie in your minds. However, being a Priyadarshan(Director) movie( who excels in comedy movies), my expectations weren't sky high. The film plot has great scope for an enthralling venture and thats why the movie is enjoyable supported by Ajay Devgan experience of acting in such social-oriented-plot movies. Watching him always makes you forget u have popcorn to eat. He simply captures your attention.

The story is about murder of 3 teenagers in a village n how a CBI officer(Akshay Khanna) and an Army officer(Ajay Devgan) goes about to solve it.

The best part of the movie is Paresh Rawal, acting as a shrewd local Police Officer. With the ease he portrays the villain character, reminds you of his villain roles in 90s.

Besides the usual disclaimer that precedes a film that all incidents, characters and similarities portrayed within are coincidental at best, Priyadarshan's Aakrish takes one extra step to reinforce this point, as it wants to tackle the real world issue of "honour killing" on film, cobbling together a series of faux pas newspaper articles and stamping them as "Fact", before hammering a full size "Fiction" inter-title across the screen prior to the commencement of the film proper. And up until the last frame did it dawn upon me that the narrative also took issue, besides caste, with that of corrupt cops and politicians who exploit an inherently weak justice system.

The story is sufficient to make you seethe with rage as we follow the investigations into the disappearance of three students, whose final moments will get enacted in due course, but only as we gain a certain foothold and breakthrough as experienced by the police officers Sidhant Chaturvedi (Akshaye Khanna) and Pratap Kumar (Ajay Devgan). Arriving from Delhi under the orders of the central government under pressure by a demonstrating student group seeking answers, the two protagonist have to quickly learn and get comfortable with each other's working style to maintain a certain degree of sanity as they tackle an environment that is most hostile, and alien to Sidhant, whose by-the-book methods are in danger of collapsing anytime.

This especially so when faced with an uncooperative local police force who cooks up possibly every reason available not to do work, and through their blatant obstruction of justice, may seem to suggest some involvement in the primary case as well. While on one hand providing unintentional comedy, I feel the investigating officers' pain when they hit a brick wall from within their own support group who more often than not seem to be on the other side of the fence.

It's the culture of silence that is most deafening, and for the first hour before the interval, Aakrosh is quite frustrating to sit through not because of its relatively slow pace, but how we see how helpless our heroes can be given their operating within red tape, and letting others rip them apart because processes rightfully bound them from hitting out. Those who have information are also cowered by threats and an innate fear that it's best to keep one's mouth shut, otherwise punishment will come in the form of bodily harm, and even death as dished out by the masked militia of men who call themselves Shool's Army, intolerant individuals bandied together to bully others into submitting to their bigoted beliefs.

For those not versed in the caste system, this film may give you an idea what it's about as it laments about the state of current affairs, and how there's so much room for improvement in terms of people's attitudes. Director Priyadarshan, whom I associate with comedies like Billu Barber and De Dana Dan, goes all serious and doesn't mince his words in Aakrosh's epilogue, as he crafts a somewhat bleak film with an ending that will raise some eyebrows, suggesting at times that you got to play fire with fire, and some of the techniques employed by the cops here may highlight certain (il)legal framework that many may not be familiar with for us outside India, but so long as it works (and a brilliant plan and execution I must add).

The film works because of the great chemistry between the pairing of Aakshaye Khanna and Ajay Devgan as cops who have the potential to be the best of buddies, yet operating on different investigative philosophies that put them at loggerheads as well. They share some explosive charisma on screen that just chews up all the surrounding scenery, with magnetic qualities that help to tide through the less happening stages of the film, one of which I felt was overly long and probably unnecessary was the entire backstory song/dance routine for Ajay's Pratap and his one time lady love Geetha (Bipasha Basu), their relationship being a victim of caste hypocrisy.

Despite being passed with an Adults only rating in India and suffering 2 cuts from a reported 30 planned by the censor board there, Aakrosh is still a hard hitting investigative thriller. While the trailer may suggest high octane action, these sequences are fairly limited in the film, with nothing that especially stands out to wow. There's a rooftop chase sequence with a fair bit of parkour, but it's more reminiscent of Hollywood's Bourne series which delivered the action scenes with a bit more of a refined flair, with this being a bit rough off the edges. However a ballsy story without mincing its themes make Aakrosh the winner here.

The action is just amazing, specially with Ajay Devgan on the top of the van. Priyadarshan, is one heck of a director. Then we have these scum imbeciles who have made the movies like "Three Idiots" and "Dabaang" who should learn from directors like him. This movie is worth every penny for the action sequence alone. Paresh Rawal, who is versatile as a stage, screen actor is never a let down. The photography is breathtaking-most of the scenes done by hand camera. Compared to these non Indian actors like Aamir Khan (this rodent midget cant act)and Salman Khan there is so much talent in the Indian Actors like Khanna, Devegun and Rawal. Rawal is such a good actor he can be funny even when is getting beat up!

AAKROSH – CATCH IT ( B+ ) Aakrsoh is really hard core and hard hitting movie, it's dark and captivating. The movie presents the right cover up stories behind the honor killings. Aakrosh, most of the times become heavy and dramatic. Still it's a great attempt by Priya Darshan. Ajay Devgan again proves why people love him both in comedy and hard hitting cinema. He again brought a great social subject with utmost decency to on screen. Akshaye khanna, well I don't like his shouting in every other sequence, he seems like doing the same shouting in comedy, action or dramatic movies. Bipasha Basu is first rate and amazing as Paresh Rawal's victim wife. She really excels in every movie from comedy to hardcore cinema. Reema Sen is first class, for a single second she didn't look like a heroine she was so much in her character and whatever happened to Bipasha Basu and Reema Sen was pretty horrible in the movie. Paresh Rawal is outstanding, he is the king of comedies and villains too, another great performance by Mr.Paresh Rawal. Sameera Reddy's Hot item song was really fun to watch. Overall, a good hard hitting movie which is quite suspenseful and hardcore.

Last night, I watched Mississipi Burning (1988) and was taken by surprise. It was really a shock to see how every bit of the movie has been copied by Priyadarshan. When I say 'copy', I mean it. Akrosh has nothing original to offer. Mississipi becomes UP/Bihar and racist killing takes the shape of honor killing. Rest remains same: the setting, the place the detectives stay, the place where killings happen, so on and so forth. Ajay Devgan plays a perfect Gene Hackman and does justice to the role. Akshaye Khanna plays a Defoe, the second lead. Can you believe it he appears in the same get-up as Dafoe in Mississipi...? Paresh Rawal's part has been a little spiced up to cater to the taste of Indian audience.

Mississipi burning maintains the pace and never goes off-track, thanks to the director. Priyadarshan spoils the momentum by bringing in too-unrealistic and melodramatic fight sequences. Watch Mississipi Burning for a much better viewing experience. Aakrosh is an average remake...nothing more!