Sometimes when the script is nothing new, the movie needs compensation in the form of other factors to rely on. One of these factors is the combination of a very special starcast, which generates special moments that make the ordinary product special too. The coming together of the two Bachchans worked big time for the ordinary BUNTY AUR BABLI in 2005. The coming together of these two Bachchans with SRK in KANK once again made the ordinary product click. Most recently, the combination of Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai did the trick in DHOOM 2, which does not deserve to be called ordinary too.
APNE, where the three Deols come together for the first time, is a movie that has a very ordinary script at hand, where part of it is inspired from the big ROCKY series and part of it from the recently released ARYAN. While ROCKY worked big time, ARYAN failed. Does APNE work though? And in the process does it become the first boxing success in India? The answer is a yes, though a partial one too. What goes in the favour of APNE is not its oft-repeated and monotonous storyline, but the hard-hitting emotional execution of the movie right up to its climax. The climax is quite functional and filmi but at least right till that point the movie manages to connect with its audience - particularly the families.
It is pointless for me to spoil the story, which has been given out so many times before anyways. But in short, it is a good vs. evil scenario where Dharmendra’s character is given a 15-year boxing ban in his prime, which forces him to retire. Eventually, he settles for training his son Angad(Sunny Deol) to fulfill his dreams of becoming the first World Heavy Weight Champion from India. With Angad involved in Agricultural Business, it is Karan(Bobby Deol) who has to fulfill his father’s dreams at the expense of his musical career. Karan takes a bright start, but eventually comes back empty-handed. It is then time for Angad to represent his family and bring home the glory his father dreams of.
Obviously, good emerges victorious over the evil in the end. And while the situation’s monotony makes it nothing exciting, its execution is packed so well with emotions that it is not frustrating either. In fact it is only fair to say that the three Deols have given it their best to help an ordinary family movie become very special only thanks to their natural bonding with each other on screen. With the movie being average in all other aspects(cinematography, editing, screenplay), the only two works that stand out are that of Himesh Reshammiya and the three Deols. Two of Himesh’s compositions are brilliant(title song, Dekhoon Tujhe To Pyar) and he is supported very well by the background score throughout the boxing matches. In fact the music generally helps raise the spirits of the movie in this case without bothering the pace of the proceedings.
Performance-wise, it is hard to choose which of the three Deols is the best. If it has to come down to choosing, however, then it has to be Dharmendra who shows no sign of losing his touch at all. Be it the comic scenes, the action sequences, or the emotional moments, Dharmendra does a brilliant job to extract the audience’s sympathy and praise at all times. Overall, a great return from this legend. Next in line is Bobby Deol, who has not been given much credit by the critics. Without Bobby’s character, however, it is hard to imagine how this movie will work. The natural desire to step up for his father is so well carried out by the talented Deol Junior that the audience cannot help but cheer for him passionately when he steps out in the Boxing Ring. His confrontation before the match with Gaurav(Aryan Vaid) is brilliantly executed. Overall, it is no doubt another excellent performance Bobby has given for his fans.
Sunny Deol has also given a good performance, but keeping in mind that Sunny has very little time to regain his form in the lead roles, he does not get the chance to create histrionics in a major way. On top of that, he has to be part of the most filmi sequence in the movie - the end fight - which is in contrast to some of the prior scenes in the movie where he manages to give a very natural performance. On the whole, Sunny too does his job very well regardless of the fact that he is really not the main character in APNE as is made out to be. Aryan Vaid does well too while Katrina Kaif and Shilpa Shetty play their small parts very well too. Divya Dutta is wasted, while Kirron Kher is excellent as usual. Jawed Sheikh is alright while some of the comedians are irritating.
Overall, APNE is a movie with nothing new to offer in terms of story but it has no doubt been presented well, with this being clear that the movie will rest on its USP: The coming together of the three Deols. This USP has already helped it open well in Punjab and it is slowly reaching its target audience - the families - in all other markets as well. However the decision to clash with the debut movie of Musical Sensation Himesh Reshammiya has cost the Deols dearly as they could have made much more out of APNE than they will eventually have to settle for right now. The Bhatts acknowledged their fault for underestimating their opposition and releasing Awarapan(which has already flopped in India) and now the Deols can hope that their movie at least becomes an average because at least that is what it deserves.