This is miniseries of great Indian gangster movies. This miniseries contains five finest realistically treated gangster movies made in India - Mani Ratnam’s Nayakan (1986), Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Parinda (1989), Ram Gopal Verma’s Satya (1998), Mahesh Manjerakar’s Vaastav (1999), Ram Gopal Verma’s Company (2002).
When you harassed by someone, exploited by someone, forced by someone against your will, what possible path you choose – oppose or ignore. In reality, both paths can lead you in the trouble. If you keep ignoring person who is harassing you, most probably they will mistreat you as a weak person. If you oppose, you might end up hurting or killing the person and that might lead you into trouble.
Debutant Marathi director Mahesh Manjrekar’s Vaastav (1999) tackles person’s restless journey into crime world because he opposed his exploitation and end up venturing into path where he wished he never wandered.
Story
Raghunath Namdev Shivalkar (Sanjay Dutt) lives in a chawl with his parents (Shivaji Satam and Reema Lagoo) and white-collar unemployed brother Vijay (Mohnish Bahl). Raghu is not interested in studies and spends most of time with friends. His father is keep lecturing him to finish his studies or find a job and settle down. Raghu requests his father to lend him some money so he can open up paav-bhaji business. His father agrees and Raghu opens up paav-bhaji stall and runs business with his friends. They soon start making money from the business. Raghu seems to have content with business and decent living.
One day, Raghu gets involved in a fight with one of the customers over the unpaid bill and accidentally kills him. That customer turns out to be brother of Fracture Bandya, one of the Mumbai’s underworld gangsters. Bandya vows to kill Raghu. Raghu hides and runs around to save himself from police and Bandya. With the help of his friend, sub-inspector Kishore Kadam (Deepak Tijori), Raghu finds refuge under Vitthal Kaanya (Ashish Vidyarthi), who is the rival of Bandya. Kaanya takes Raghu under his gang, helps him to kill Bandya, and changes him into a gangster. Soon he finds himself as king of underworld. As Raghu rises in status in underworld, he starts alienating himself from the family.
In the meantime, corrupt home minister Babbanrao Kadam (Mohan Joshi) starts using Raghu as his pawn to get rid of people for his political agenda. He soon becomes killing machine who collects haftas from the businessmen and get addicted to drugs and alcohol. Raghu regularly visits brothels and falls in love with one of the prostitute Sonia (Namrata Shirodkar). As Raghu rises in the underworld power, he continues exploiting his power by killing innocent citizens. People and media put lots of pressure on government to take some step to clean up the politician-gangster nexus.
Smelling Raghu as trouble, Babbanrao Kadam orders encounter killings for Raghu and his friends. As things getting tightened, Raghu runs away from the police and goes to underground with his family. Raghu reaches at the point where he gets stuck in the Chakravyuh of the underworld where he couldn’t figure out how to come out. He looses his mind and begs his mother for drops of alcohol or sniff of drugs or to free him from her. At last, Raghu’s mother kills Raghu to relieve him from this painful suffering life of a gangster.
Analysis
As it’s tagline “The reality”, Vaastav is a stark reality of present Mumbai underworld. All mafias are innocent kids or youngsters at one time. It’s system that turns normal citizen into mafias. Vaastav shows how normal citizen pushed beyond limit by local mafias, harassed by police, lured into underworld by gangsters, pawned by politicians for their personal gains. Vaastav shows us one person’s journey into underworld, without knowing it’s one-way street with nothing but horrible end. It’s also trap where you will earn power, fame, and money by loosing family, friends, loved ones, and self-esteem.
Mahesh Manjrekar as a writer-director has handled complex subject with tightly knitted captivating screenplay and stunningly masterful direction without going too commercial or too artistic. It just looks like leaf taken out from true-life gangster’s biography. Many of the scenes of Vaastav leaves everlasting impact and lingers on viewers mind for long time – Raghu’s careless chawl life, Raghu and Dedfutia’s confrontation with Bandya’s brother at paav-bhaji stall, Raghu and Deffutia hiding after killing Bandya’s brother, Raghu murders Bandya in cafe, Raghu and Sonu’s interactions in brothels, Sub-inspector Kishore Kadam’s constant advices, alerts, and moral confrontations with Raghu, Raghu murders Babbanrao Kadam at Suleiman’s house, encounter killing sequences, and famous scene with Raghu’s breakdown in the climax.
Sanjay Dutt as Raghu is backbone of the movie. Vaastav not only won him best actor film fare award but also helped him to start his impressive second innings as an actor. He eats, drinks, breaths Raghubhai’s character. Sanjay Dutt masterfully rendered complex character of macho persona of Raghubhai. Raghubhai is simple, nice, innocent, irrational, prankster kid who just wants to have fun in the life. He doesn’t want to harm anyone. He is tough from outer appearance but true to heart. He accepts his mistakes and takes blames upon himself easily. He can be emotional at one time and volcano at another time. He does things in hurry that leads him trouble. Even though he is failed as son, his parent loves him more than his coward white-collar brother.
Reema Lagoo as Raghu’s mother delivers powerhouse performance and it’s one of the best roles of her entire career. Just watch her how she reacts when Raghu confronts the doctor when his father was in emergency room or in the climax scene when she relieves Raghu from mafia life. Sivaji Satam as Raghu’s father is impressive. Just watch him how happy yet unsure he is when he is landing money to Raghu to open up the business. Namatra Sirodkar as Sonia is luminous beauty and leaves pacifying effect over somewhat grim proceedings. Deepak Tijori as sub-inspector is memorable as childhood friend. Just watch him how he alerts Raghu at every step he takes towards point of no return. Sanjay Narvekar as Dedfutia, Raghu’s best friend is awe-inspiring. Paresh Rawal as Suleimanbhai is an underworld broker to settle disputes between rival gangs or politicians is extremely impressive.
Even though Jatin Lalit’s soundtrack are disappointments, Vaastav will be close to my heart for one of finest duets of recent times - Meri Dunia Hai. Its not only best song in the movie but brings fresh air in grim and dark proceedings of the movie. Haunting melody, wonderful lyrics, beautiful Swiss locals, Sanjubaba and Namatra’s mesmerizing chemistry everything seems perfectly blend together for our beloved character Raghubhai’s romantic honeymoon. Sandeep Chowta’s gets one more chance to showcase his talent as background music composer after his impressive work in RGV’s Satya. His score elevates film to different level especially last half an hour when Raghu is on run.
Conclusion
Vaastav is a blue print for any normal person who lives simple life want to choose path of underworld and wants to know its consequences. It’s no doubt that Vaastav is Sanjay Dutt’s finest performance and Mahesh Manjerekar’s best film to date. It’s one of the finest Indian movies of recent times. It’s must see.