Shikhar

All the reports of the movie were pretty dull. I decided to go against all odds to see the movie, solely because the director of the movie had proved class in his first outing (Sarfarosh).

Let me tell you, this was really a very directed movie. The pace of the movie is definitely not as quick paced as Sarfarosh was, but the story is refreshing, and is only made better by some fabulous acting by Ajay Devgan and Shahid Kapoor (who has by far made his best performance till date).

It is an intelligent movie, bringing out all the games played in politics and in the cut-throat business world. The only drawback of the movie is its slower pace, and addition of unwanted songs which really serve no purpose in the movie and neither were melodious. Had the edited the songs, the impact of the movie would have been much more.

All in all, I would say this movie is trying to bring out a social message to all the people in the world. My final comment is, if you liked "Swades", definitely go watch this movie.

Though the intended message delivered by the movie is noble, the actual presentation isn't that good. In the sense, that at times it becomes too didactic. People don't go to theaters for getting lectures on Moral Science. It has to be more subtle. Shahid Kapur is no match for Ajay Devgan. The protagonist and the antagonist sides are not evenly balanced. In fact, Ajay Devgan's character is not jet black, its a shade of grey rather. And one reason why I didn't like this movie is that throughout the movie, I was on the villain's (supposedly) side, who lost in the end ! Also, expectations from John Mathew were sky high after the amazing movie called "Sarfarosh(1999)" by him.

I agree with last comment. It is formula movie with copy of western songs and dances in the hope of appealing to NRIs who may be nostalgic or those who aspire to be an NRI. This is obvious when Devgan talks in terms of $ instead of Rs to explain the exchange rate.

Every one seems to be overacting and insincere. Devgan is not only a builder but suddenly he is shown to be expert in every business so that he can send Kapoor to Thailand instead of Singapore for horticultural research. Thailand is shown to be a technologically advanced while India is still so backward.

You may watch it if you have nothing better to do.

I have huge admiration for ad-film makers for they pay great attention to small details and more importantly they dare to be different. "Sarfarosh" was a "cult" movie in its own right. When "Shikar" was announced, the audience were expecting nothing short of another "Sarfarosh". John M Mathen should be lauded for the venturing into a path-breaking territory and make a full-blown movie addressing the environmental issue. Sadly, was well-ahead of its time and hence the audience failed to connect. With the "green" talks gaining momentum and Copenhagen hogging the lime-light, perhaps today the audience can realise the importance of Mother Nature.

Ajay Devgan:: It was the stage in his career where he was full-on experimenting roles of grey shades and this was one of them. As usual, he is dependable.

Shahid Kapur:: Had the movie got its due recognition, he would have been greatly benefited.

Bipasha Basu:: She hardly any scope or requirement in the story.

Amrita Rao:: Just about OK.

Javed Sheikh:: Played the role of good Samaritan quite well.

Well, John M Mathen needs to bounce back and surely will.

I am a serious movie goer. I saw the film and found it really different. Personally John could have done better but can give him credit for attempting a different film. The point of disappointment is that the film came a little late. It would have been really nice if it had come out a little earlier. Ajay is good but Shaid has a long way to go. Also,here I would like to bring in notice of all that the credit for Shikhar's dialogues has been wrongly reported in this site. Its not Hriday Lani but Dr. Bodhisattva and John M Matthan. It even appears in the credit roll of the film.Everybody please wake up to such misleading information.

Pranjal Saxena