Aakrosh is a film made with a good intention where it discusses a deep rooted issue exists but less discussed. Caste - For one who belongs to the upper class it is a reason of pride and for lower class, it is a matter of shame or a reason for challenge and revenge. Century old cast system takes away the spirit of individuals and permit the surrender of spirit to shame. Out of 100 plus crores of people, nearly half are suffering in one way or other in the name of caste. The human spirit of 50 crore plus of people are blocked by the imaginary hurdle of caste.
Pain to body or to mind - which one is more powerful? When one receives both at the same time, what are the options left with them? Either they kill themselves or they revenge. Aakrosh shows the extremes of sufferings and how law of the land is not sufficient to give the justice they deserve.
It begins with a high class girl’s attempt to elope with an educated, but belongs to low class. On Dussera, they manage to get in a car and they started the journey. However, the dirty hands reach them before they go long. The girl is back in her home, but the three boys are missing. Two young CBI officers are appointed for enquiry, but they find it very hard to find a witness or to fight the jungle law exist in the village. The young officers never give up. Many lives are given out, but the dark law prevailed. Aakrosh is a call for change by the oppressed where their tongues are muted by outdated cast system and incapable administration and law.
Aakrosh is shocking at times, breezy most of the time and engaging through out. Priyadarsan, the master director attempt action this time and leave more than a mark. Fast paced action, breath taking chasing scenes, brutal and stunning cold blooded murders Aakrosh has many reasons to watch it. The movie however, doesn’t reach to the excellent tag; thanks partly to weakness in screen play and partly by the length.
Performance by the stars is brilliant. If one expect Ajay Devgan to take the lead, it keeps Ajay to the assistant. When we expect Paresh Rawal as a comedian, he is core of a villain. If we expect a glamerous Bipasha Basu, she is the typical village house wife. Against all these odds, the director extracts best of the actors as required the film. Ajay Devgan has a dream run in 2010 with successive films with good performance. Anybody in place of Ajay Devgan would have been side lined with the role assigned, but not Ajay. His charisma, control and brilliance brought life and more to the film. I salute Ajay for accepting the role and making it a successful one with the talent. Excellent! Akshay Khanna simply rocks. He got an author backed role and he did complete justice to it with his powerful performance. To match Ajay Devgan is not an easy task and Ajay Devgan and Akshay Khanna simply equalled the space and affects there. Very good! Bipasha Basu - lived this different role with lot of maturity. Very good! Reema Sen will cherish this film for many coming years. Even though she is only in few scenes she has a power packed role and she didn’t disappoint the casting director. Paresh Rawal, surprises yet again, this time as a villain with a light cold heart. Rest of the cast did their roles well.
Music of the film was a let down. Choreography could have been much better. In an action packed film, music and its treatment is quite important as these are the time people expects to relax their tensed muscles and music disappoints. Back ground by Ousephachan music is good.
Cinematography by Tirru is very good. It didn’t reach to the height of Kanchivaram where the cinematographer worked with the director to get the film the national award. Still, the effort by Tirru is excellent for there are beautiful visuals which we can see with a ’wow’. Also special applauds required for capturing those actions scenes so well.
Art director Sabu Cyril is nearly perfect in his work. Editor, Arun Kumar is showing better signs from earlier Priyadarsan films, still there are areas he has to improve. I cannot fully judge the work where the print I saw is later edited by the censor board of India and then by the censor board over here. The length of the first half however could have trimmed by about 10 to 15 minutes for a better impact.
The movie is a very good watch, for its Power packed action and chase scenes, rocking performance by the cast, heart touching situations, message & Cinematography. The movie is a kind of suspense thriller as well, where we wait for what next all the time.
The movie may be missed, if you don’t like black action (read too much violence), if you are looking for a light entertainer or if you are only looking for an all perfect movie. (The movie lacks the frame strength, which holds the brilliant situations.)
Overall, the film is a well made attempt which is worth watch for the breath taking action and performance. Give it a try even if it do not feed full of your appetite, as films like this do not arrive often.