Dec 5, 2005

Apaharan -- Ajay Devgan does it again.





After Gangajal, another stellar performance from this class actor.. This movie really makes fun of law and order situation in Bihar.. Mafia dons running their crime syndicate from jail, the cunning politician cum kidnapping mastermind - Tabrez Alam - played by the mercurial Nana Patekar.. Really this flick is worth watching.. At times you wonder whether politician really stoop into such levels. Maybe, Prakash Jha ( he campaigned against Laloo in the recent Bihar elections ) has exaggerated a bit.. Or maybe these things do exist.. Either way, the movie portrays the degradation of the system in Bihar... Traders dont feel anything while paying ransom, beurocrats and politicians practicing bribes and corruption as their birthright , police colluding with the goons to orchester the kidnapping industry, and the people who want to be honest simply not able to do that due to prevailing circumstances... the movie captures all these images perfectly. .One dialog -- "Aaj ki zamaane me Gandhi hone ki koshish mat karo..." -- sums it up very well..

Ajay Shaastri ,the character played by AjayDevgan is the quintessential image of a honest young man getting disillusioned by the system.. Politicians block his attempts to get into police force based on merit because he hasn't paid bribes and he happen to be a member of upper caste.. This instance brings to the fore a very important reality.. Although lower castes are victimised in most parts of the nation, the reverse also exists...The minority is victimised. Its just circumstance which determine who happens to be on the wrong side.. The root cause of all this is the beurocratic setup which asks for religion and caste for anything and everything..Starting from birth certificate through job application and death certificate, this evil is prevalent every where..
"Caste is a reality" -- I accept that.. But it doesnt get into the governance that we receive.It is against the very basic principle of our constitution ...

Coming back to the movie, another aspect which differentiates this from the usual bollywood flicks is the style of action and absence of masala.. ( Dont go for the movie expecting lot from Bipasha Basu..She's just there for the sake of having a lady character in the movie ) ..
The action sequences are very realistic... The ending is also , sort of OK.. Unlike the normal hindi movies, the hero doesnt eliminate all villains or get back his lady love.

On the whole - " A highly relevant movie in the present socio-political atmosphere in India " ..
Do see it...
Ajith

3 comments:

csy0182 said...

typical hindi movie deviating into what is not so typical...

typical - disillusioned young man...

untypical - young man takes up crime...

Devgan in Gangaajal set in Bihar was brilliant.. wonder how this will turn out.

Ajith Prasad Balakrishnan said...

The way that they have portrayed these images are very much realistic.Tis not the usual theme of a disillusioned young man turning against the system which makes the movie good.. It is the way that they have shown this which makes it special :)

Ajith

Hitchhiker said...

Absolutely loved the movie.
@Sanjiv : Typical, mebbe but then again, there are just so many basic themes in a human life. As it is said, the devil is in the details, and this one's attention to details and treatment of the storyline was amazing.
Btw, another movie of his, in which Ajay and Saif came up with a wowzerz is Omkaara. Should watch that movie.