I came to knew about Raakh (1989) through my friend Pady (ms id: pady_s), a die-hard Aamir Khan fan. He even showed me 2 of its scenes uploaded on YouTube and it really made me curious and I immediately felt an urge to see this film. We searched for Raakh but unfortunately, due to some reason, its VCDs/DVDs aren’t available anywhere. Eventually, I had to do something which I just hate-downloading the film from the net! And finally, I saw this rare film!
The story of the movie: The film is set in a fascist India. 21 year old Aamir Hussain (Aamir Khan) one day goes to a party. There he meets his ex-girlfriend Neeta (Supriya Pathak). A hoodlum, Hassan Karmali (Madhurkar Toradmal) tries to misbehave with Neeta. Angry by this, Aamir hits Karmali. In retaliation, Karmali and his men gangrape Neeta and injure Aamir. Aamir becomes devastated and feels that Neeta got raped because of him. He decides to seek revenge. His attempt to seek police help fails to yield any result. He leaves his home and decides to fight Karmali single handedly. At this point, he comes across Sheikh (Ahmed Khan), an orphaned boy living on the streets; inspector PK (Pankaj Kapur) and Naina (Naina Balsaver). PK had his eyes on Karmali since years but due to Karmali’s man and money power and also the corrupt police system, he was unable to take action against the hoodlum. His meeting with Aamir convinces him that both (i.e. Aamir and PK) can help each other in their aim of eliminating Karmali.
We have seen stories beginning with the phrase ‘Once upon a time..’. However, Raakh begins with the line ‘A few years from now’! Also India is shown under a dictator rule in this film. The director could have avoided this but this surely gave the film a unique touch!
The film keeps you engrossed from the very first scene. The party scene in the beginning was okay (all side actors were overacting!). However, Karmali’s entry and the rape scene definitely create an impact. Aamir at the police station and his first meeting with PK takes the film to another level. In fact, the first 60 minutes were rocking!
The film remains interesting in the 2nd half too. However, the glaring flaws prevent Raakh from becoming a classic. Its biggest flaw was its bad lighting. Some of the scenes (especially the one shot at night) are so dark that it becomes very difficult to understand what’s going on. After a point of time, it becomes irritating. Secondly, Naina’s character was unwanted and the director could have done away with it. Thirdly, the last 20 minutes completely ruin the film. The scenes were already little confusing due to the bad light. And the climax also doesn’t impress.
Performance wise, Aamir Khan and Pankaj Kapur undoubtedly were the best. Aamir gives a rocking performance. It’s great to see Aamir Khan doing such an excellent job and that too in the beginning of the career. No doubt, today, he’s one of the biggest superstars of Bollywood! Hats off, Aamir!
Pankaj Kapur also does a brilliant job as the disgruntled cop. Ahmed Khan, the choreographer and director of Lakeer and Fool N Final played the role of Sheikh in this film. He does a great job but unfortunately, due to bad lights, his face is not visible even in a single scene! Supriya Pathak and Naina Balsaver were good. Chandu Parkhi was terrific as the strict (and unintentionally funny) cop! Madhurkar Toradmal played his part perfectly. Others were okay.
Santosh Sivan, a known personality now, was the cinematographer of the film. Some of the scenes were very well shot. If only, the lighting was good, the film would have reached great heights. Haresh Vyas’ sound designing was great. Watch out for the beginning scene when an empty bottle breaks on the ground-the sound of the glass was chilling! Ranjit Barot’s background music was outstanding. Nuzhat Khan’s dialogues were good, especially those mouthed during Aamir and PK’s conversations.
Finally, Aditya Bhattacharya, the director and writer, deserves a pat! Making such kind of film 20 years back on a shoestring budget is an achievement. The story was great but it was a director where Aditya succeeded big time. He executed the story well. However, he could have surely done a better job in the last 20 minutes. Nevertheless, it was a great attempt and kudos to Aditya!
Some of the best scenes in the film:
Aamir and Karmali’s first time interaction
Aamir at the police station
PK being confronted by his senior
Aamir getting scolded by his father
All scenes of Aamir and PK
The interaction between Aamir and Sheikh
PK’s outburst at the party
On the whole, Raakh was a great attempt and the film succeeds in impressing even though it has flaws. All hardcore movie buffs and Aamir Khan Fans should definitely watch this film!
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