Success in the field comes out of hard work, will power and persistence. Once the basic factors are set, it is a mind game. A game of will, how we look at problems, how we face it etc. What if emotions attached to it? When a person is in emotion, a lot of energy is released and if we can manage to use the energy into any game there is a chance to win. When we fight for a cause an extra energy release to our body and this little extra will help us to overtake the competitor.
Apne is a movie of family relation, goals and ambitions in life, persistence and success. A father (Baldev, played by Darmendra) who won silver medal in Olympics for India, but later banned for 15 years from the sports for a false alleged doping charges. There he challenged the Jury to come back with his elder son Anghad (Sunny Deol). He trained his son to be so, and Angad even claimed the national championship. However self assigned family responsibilities hold him from advancing further. The father and the son are not in good terms now, though both have respects each other. Anghad now becomes an agriculture exporter, which made him rich and he got many awards in the field too. But the father is not happy. Anghad’s little brother Karan’s (Bobby Deol) a hand is not movable from his childhood. It was an accident which was caused when Anghad tried to protect their mother from money lenders. Though not from his hand, he holds the wounds with him. Even though Karan cannot move his left hand, moves into the field of music and become a rockstar of it.
Where two of his sons could not complete his dream and a youth (Aryan) asked him to coach him for the title, Baldev took up the challenge to train him, but later Aryan opted for an Australian coach than Baldev. Circumstances lead Karan to recover from the problems of his left hand now he is been trained by Baldev and they are waiting for the qualifying match, the first one is between Aryan & Bobby Deol. Now onwards, it is a game show all the way…the winner will take on none other than the world champion Luca Gracia who is known as the Killing Machine. See how things will turn up in the movie. It is an interesting episode.
I will say the story is not that much new. Years back Amir Khan gave us a Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander. When the movie remade to Tamil (Badri, by Vijay), the the competition changed from cycling to Boxing. If somebody feel similarity between JJWS or Badri, it is only understandable. The first hour of the movie was not that impressive where the director was busy setting the family melodrama in detail. From the point Bobby Deol started his action (soon after 1 hour of the movie), it took a complete turn for good. From there on the movie sprints to success. All in all, Anil Sharma did a good job, though little more care could have given a better product. The director succeeded to tickle the audience spirit and get some clapping from the audience. The screen play could have written little more gripping in the first hour. Not only that, the entire presenttion looks like we are seeing a film from 70s or 80s. However, once the stage is set it embark to the 21st century and from there own the movie don’t had to look backward.
Darmendra gave an excellent performance, proving he is still young to fight. Sunny Deol was his usual stuff however he shown his class when the situations asked him to do so, where Bobby Deol was the leading star most of the way. Katrina Kaif & Divya Dutta has only little to do and they did their part pretty well. After Metro, Shilpa Shetty is giving a good screen presence and she clearly establishes that she is here to stay. However, there was only little to do for her too. Kirron Kher was excellent. Victor Banerjee’s performance was special. (Amar Singh gives a guest appearance too)
Music of the film was pretty ordinary. It however was setting the mood for the film. Himesh did an ok job, though not exceptional. Choreography was again strictly ok.
The camera however captured the long fields of Punjab and the City of New York pretty well.
In an after thought, I wonder how we can games like boxing in a short training of 1 month and reach to claim the world championship. It is not an easy task. Emotional attachment will not surely help us to get it. It is a product of continuous training, systematic practice and fulfillment of dreams for years. Many sports require perfect body to carry and give correct punches to the opponent. It does not come so easily. However, it is a good trend that the bollywood movies are now selecting sports subjects. Any developing nation will make a similar advancement in sports too. Therefore it is a good trend. Once we cross a river of emotion, we will see that it is the end result of sweat than emotions.
Overall, the movie is worth a watch kind, almost in line with Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander, but not a class film like it. The boxing scenes turn the viewers to a nail biting mode most often. About an hour you feel you are sitting in the gallery of a boxing ring. So, this is my say. What you have to say?
My rating 3.5 stars