Hatred is a potent driving force as long as you are unaffected by its morbidity. Hatred mixed with vengeance is all the more lethal an impetus that Nature can contrive for the human race. What we give comes back to us in thousand folds goes the ancient saying. Thus hatred begets hatred and violence promotes violence. A war is a war however noble the intent is. A massacred land, even if regained by a stiff battle, can hardly be converted overnight into the kingdom it once promised to be. Devastation takes its toll leaving ugly ravages and ruins behind for centuries to mend. Time has its own way of repeating these tales of meaningless torture that men inflict upon men…and still we fail to learn our lesson…
Agnipath is one of those dark sagas of shameful self-annihilation which while recounting mankind shall think twice…
Mandwa: A remote village ridden with poverty, illiteracy and consequent backwardness – a perfect play field for oppression to flourish unhindered. The village school master, Dinanath Chauhan(Chetan Pandit), is determined to dispel the abysmal gloom that besieges the land by setting up a primary school. Enters the ruthless son of the village overlord, Kancha Cheena(Sanjay Dutt), with an elaborate plan to usurp the land of the villagers! Dinanath is his only fearless opponent. In the ensuing battle between the good and the bad, the latter wins. Dinanath is defamed, mercilessly flogged and publicly hanged to death. An example is set for all those who dare to rebel. The twelve year old Vijay or Viju witnesses his father’s death in grim silence. Lesson learnt: Be a meaner force to strike down the darker ones.
Mumbai: Suhasini(Zarina Wahab), Dinanath’s widow, and Viju leave Mandwa for Mumbai – a city of dreams with a simmering underbelly - where Viju is soon exposed to a starker world of Mafia kingpin, Rauf Lala(Rishi Kapoor). Vijay, under Rauf Lala’s tutelage, grows up into a dark, brooding young man(Hrithik Roshan), whose sole mission in life is to get back Mandwa.
The Dark Forces: Agnipath revolves round three dark forces:
Kancha Cheena’s devilry stems from self-hate. He is ugly, he knows it and he hates himself for that. Imprisoned by his own image, he, however, lives up to it. His intermittent philosophical rejoinders vindicate that even Satan has his own way of reconciling to his misdeeds.
Rauf Lala, on the other hand, is more urbane and suave. His silence is more menacing than his words, his moves more calculated and farsighted. It’s not surprising, therefore, that the only time Kancha and Rauf come face to face, what brews between them is unmitigated hostility.
Vijay Dinanath Chauhan is a force to reckon with. His “Heathcliff”ian silence lends an intensity and poignancy to the character which is born out of a constant dilemma within – the forceful teachings of his father to be fearless while encountering the evil and his betrothal with the evil to counter and end the same once for all – beautifully brought out in the climax when Vijay after killing Kancha asks his mother whether he has done the right thing.
To Inspector Gaitonde(Om Puri) Vijay is a paradox. He meticulously masterminds criminal operations and leaves no clue behind. However, he refuses to celebrate his victory and recklessly squanders the loot amidst the poor. He resides in a one-room tenement in the squalid neglect of the city - the red-light area – the street where his mother had once given birth to his sister. Gaitonde is sure that it is not money or muscle that Vijay hounds for – it is a deeper craving that keeps him going.
The Moments: Karan Malhotra’s directorial debut is promising but he still has a course to undertake in subtle portrayal though we do get flashes of it spasmodically. The young Viju, rain-soaked, arriving at Rauf Lala’s doorstep – Rauf’s wordless look of surprise and by a silent arch of an eyebrow Viju’s initiation into the underworld; Viju watching his mother and sister from behind a wall, who have by now left him because of ideological differences and later caught red-handed while delivering cake and flowers on his sister’s birthday; Viju trying on/mistakenly slipping on Rauf Lala’s mojris spilling his inner most desire to be in his shoes; the skilful conspiracy by which Viju kills Rauf’s son and his consequent ascendance to power; a shaken Viju at the ghaats of Mandwa where his father was killed are some of the moments to look for. However, the gory clashes between Viju and Kancha could have definitely been under played and the gross use of violence considerably toned down.
Power Packed Performances: A standing ovation for Rishi Kapoor who has added a fourth dimension to villainy by his brilliant enactment of the flesh trading Mafia don, Rauf Lala - a dangerous man coached in civility, his cunning well-camouflaged till you catch him in action. Kancha, the drug lord, on the other hand is raw and ugh! Whether it is the trick of the camera or make-up is hard to say. However, Sanjay Dutt at times is too loud and deliberate. Poised between the two, with minimal dialogue and superbly understated body language, Hrithik impeccably personifies the unguided youth motivated by revenge torn between right and wrong.
Above All: Agnipath, as we all know is a remake of the 1990 Amitabh Bachhan starrer iconic film of the same name, which won Big B a National Award. Though a tribute to the original, (made under the same banner - Dharma Productions), the newer version has been contemporised for greater relevance. In the process, many a characters have been trimmed off while a few have been introduced.
The caption of the movie is inspired by the blood boiling verses of Dr. Harivansh Rai Bachhan written to inspire the freedom fighters during India’s struggle for independence. The tacit approval of the men in power and at times their active involvement with the likes of Kancha Cheena and Rauf Lala, the lack of political mandate and ideological alternates, the vast chunk of unemployed youth who are either indifferent or led astray and the hapless weeds like Suhasini, Lachhi and kaali(Priyanka Chopra) fated to be carelessly trampled, Agnipath is a stark reminder that the strife is not yet over – however, the enemy now is not without but is within.