Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar make a good duo on screen, as we have seen in the past, in films such as Ek Rishtha and Aankhen. And so one is obviously eager, when they star together yet again, in Vipul Shah’s Waqt—The Race against Time. The film also stars Shefali Chayya, Priyanka Chopra, Boman Irani and Rajpal Yadav. An out and out family drama, this one tugs at your heart.
Ishwar (Amitabh Bachchan) is one of those self-made rags to riches stories, while Shefali is his dutiful wife. Amitabh pampers their only child Aditya (Akshay) to such an extent that Akshay turns out to be one of those rich spoilt kids. His father is more a friend and a co-conspirator in his misdeeds, and he has no interest in work. No amount of serious talk from the mother seems to affect either the father or the son. Ishwar is over indulgent, to the extent of chartering a plane for his son’s vacations. But tragedy awaits the family, as Ishwar has but a short time to live. Meanwhile, Aditya gets married to Pooja (Priyanka), who is Natubhai’s (Boman) daughter. With time running out, and Aditya showing no signs of maturing, Ishwar has no choice but to swallow the bitter pill, and throw his son out of the house, in an effort to knock some sense and responsibility into him. Aditya misunderstands, rebels, and starts doing some work, in order to make both ends meet. The rest of the story is about how he becomes mature, and in the end, let’s say that all’s well that ends well.
The story is a melodramatic one, with moments, which bring tears to one’s eyes. Like Ishwar telling his wife about his illness, or Ishwar throwing out his son, as he is taking food for his pregnant wife, or Ishwar’s constant fear—Will I be able to ever see my grandson? Some of the dialogues are very touching, like Ishwar describing him and his unborn grandson standing at 2 ends of a bridge, and now knowing who will cross first. Shefali’s angst and anguish are also well brought out.
Performances are brilliant, whether it be Amitabh, Akshay, Shefali or the uproarious pair of Boman and Rajpal Yadav, who constantly have you in splits, and you laugh till your sides ache. Priyanka is passable. Anu Malik’s music is melodious, with the “Miraksam’ song and the “Subah Hogi’ standing out, although two or three songs, between Akshay and Priyanka do not contribute to the story, and could have been chopped.
All in all, a good film with a message, for parents and children alike, in terms of growing up and taking up responsibilities. Technically, too, the film is good, and the screenplay is lucid and flowing.