Movie Title: “D- COMPANY”
RATING: (OUT OF )
Review by Ranju Anthony
India, 2005
Running Length: 105 mins
Censor Board Certification: A
Language: Hindi
Genre: Action
(Wide Release)
Director: Vishram Sawant
Producer: Ram Gopal Verma /
Screenplay: Vishram Sawant / Manish Gupta
Cinematography: Srikant Naroj
Cast: Randeep Hooda, Chunky Pandey, Rukhsar, Isha Koppikar, Yashpal Sharma, Goga Kapoor & Sushant Singh
Music:
‘D’ is a tour de force of a starter for a director who makes his debut under the shadows of the RGV camp. The movie has been presented as a sort of a prequel to the earlier smash hit from the same factory “Company”. The subject movie may not have much of any thematic depth but it nevertheless represents 100+ minutes of pure adrenaline pumping exuberant entertainment.
‘D’ encompasses the story of Deshu (Randeep Hooda) who comes back to Mumbai after a sudden tragedy that struck his family. Although, never explicitly mentioned, it’s a death (of his mother) in his family that brings him back to the city that never sleeps. During this stint, he witnesses events that emboss a permanent fixture of the word crime in his mind. It’s then that he decides to gain a foothold in the awfully ’competent’ and ‘competitive’ realms of the Mumbai Underworld. Deshu gains respect from his mentor (Goga Kapoor) and his bunch of hoodlums (Chunky Pandey & team) and scale new heights much to the chagrin and envy of his mentor’s sons (Yashpal Sharma and Sushant Singh). What we witness thereafter is an apocalyptic showdown between the Deshu gang and the two nephews to capture territories of stature. The culmination of this showdown leads to further twists and turns before a surprisingly fresh climax sequence.
I must confess that I wasn’t really expecting much from this ‘oh so familiar’ gangster flick from its (slick but monotonous) promos. RGV has already shown us extreme grimness through his earlier ventures; remember the clan of Shiva, Satya and Company but D successfully completes the quadrangle of sorts for this present monarch of the Indian film industry. Admittedly, he didn’t hone the director’s chair this time round but one cannot ignore the accustomed rawness with which this subject has been dealt.
The begrimed exteriors and the somber mood of the characters have been captured with apt by the cinematographer. The background music, as in all Ramu productions has a certain amount of vigor and intricacy. Randeep Hooda makes a tremendous debut as Deshu, the protagonist. His drooling personality coupled with intense eye contact is bound to garner further appreciation from his female fans as his upcoming ventures unfold. As his (emotional) associate Chunky Pandey shows the right amount of vulnerability; his career should only augment further, subsequent to this effort. Goga Kapoor as the ailing Don surprisingly pitches in with a sublime and restraint effort. Not to forget the menacing acts by Sushant Singh and Yashpal Sharma; two very competent (erstwhile discoveries of Ramu) actors from the ‘Factory’.
Now the dampeners; the songs, though few, pose more of a hindrance and never sync with the atmosphere. The tapori song is a mere reiteration of a similar number in ‘Satya’ and the item song looks more of a buffoonery than anything else. But these are small un-pleasantries in a motion picture which is (for a change) absolutely correct in length (under 2 hours) and more importantly; immensely watch able.