I have always thought Raj Kumar Santoshi to be a good director with quite an amazing track record. His success has always been in developing a formulaic fare into a totally entertaining one; His Legend of Bhagat Singh, a historical too was an excellent movie. I had always expected Khakee to be a good movie, and after seeing the movie I am glad I am not disappointed one bit.
In Khakee, you witness a variety of characters in the police force; the young and restless force wanting to make a mark with honesty; the policeman who has come to terms with the norm of the day and has got rigged into the system; the honest policeman, always sidelined, always avoided; the poorer constables who fluctuate between the honest ideology and commitment; the corrupt police who have embraced politics and act hand in hand with the terrorists.
In Khakee, you see realistic characters in real situations. Though the script like any other RKS movie is a little unrealistic, you are treated to some excellent direction, and taught editing and brilliant screenplay. It is to RKS’s forte that he puts his real characters in unrealistic situations and combination comes on top. You never wonder why unrealistically only five people are chosen for an important mission, but instead you feel it when AB puts forward his sense of duty.
In Khakee, you see an important social message of all is not bad with the police world. There are bad people, bad politicians, and bad things – and yet, it does not take a courageous man to stand up and fight against the system. You are not treated to escapist cinema of one man cleansing a society, but rather treated to what could be achieved by collective responsibility of few individuals. You are not treated to melodramatics by characters, but instead the character’s outbursts at important moments only remind you that it is a film.
In Khakee, you finally see a woman and her role being justified in what is completely a man dominated movie. The heroine doesn’t break into a song in hero’s memory and then disappear – instead, heroine herself is an integral character of the movie. Thank you RKS for finally avoiding the formulaic cliché of the heroine – though one wishes you got rid of your item songs.
In Khakee, you sit up and notice a variety of excellent performances, even from the sidelines. While Akshay Kumar is excellent in his comedy, you also notice that comedy in itself doesn’t digress the movie, but allows you some breathing space before you start running again. Khakee is a marathon, and the end of it one is left not tired, but happy having watched a good movie with content. A movie with content is never long.
In Khakee, allow yourself to witness Amitabh Bachchan in yet another stellar performance as a DCP. Is there anything he cannot do? Be it reminiscing about his disappointing honest past, or him not being there for his family, or coming to remind others of duty, this is one performance AB must simply adore himself.
In Khakee, you witness a brilliant end; a superbly done end which in itself carries the whole essence of the movie. If one misses the point of the last scene and the monologue later, one quite misses the point of the whole movie. A single dramatic hard hitting last scene itself contributes the point of the whole movie; Kudos to the script writers.
In Khakee, you are treated to some excellent art work, photography and scene shooting. The colors and mood of the movie are chosen carefully; you note that the colors for flash backs are superbly done and so are the action sequences – nothing overboard, just about as real as it gets.
In Khakee, you witness yet another piece of brilliant direction by RKS. It must be said that he must be clubbed in the select groups as one of the best film makers in the country. He may not be the most creative guy in scripting, but he knows his job well and knows what to do with a subject. As always, social issues have been his strength, and one wishes he make more movies like these.
All in all, in Khakee, you witness the responsibility under which the police work; however the path they chose to bestow their responsibility is their choice.
It’s a must watch film, simply put.