Firstly, with all the recent copies of hollywood movies by bollywood, let me just add that even though I’ve seen some of the ’’originals’’ the bollywood remakes are sometimes better.
I saw Man on Fire with Denzel Washington and although it was a very good movie, it was quite forgettable. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the movie but never felt the inclination to watch it again as I did with Ek Ajnabee.
Basic story line:
Amitabh plays an alcoholic ex-army commando tortured by his past, who gets an invitation from his friend Arjun, to go to Singapore. There he finds out he has to be the bodyguard to a child Anamika (don’t remember her real name). At first he’s distant and wants nothing to do with the child, but then gradually forms a strong bond with her, and that’s when she gets kidnapped. The rest of the movie is basically about him looking for the child. There a lot of twists involved and a sort of surprise ending.
Now onto the cast:
Baby Anamika is a find, the child can act. Her emotions were spot on and unlike some of the child actors I’ve watched, wasn’t too loud and didn’t overact. I actually thought she was better than Dakota Fanning (from the Hollywood version). She held her own opposite Amitabh.
Amitabh Bachchan- what can I say, he played the role of tormented alcoholic turned avenging angel to the hilt. I loved his interaction with Anamika, esp. when she instructs him to ’’Get in and drive’’
My favourite character in the movie was Arjun Rampal though (and that is not a biased opinion). I loved his new look, and for once he was not acting the role of the intense wronged husband/father/boyfriend/romantic hero. He suited his role perfectly and I honestly can’t imagine anyone else who would pull off the ’’pimp’’ look and still look exceedingly sexy. He definitely looks more relaxed and natural on screen.
On the whole, Ek Ajnabee was by no means perfect, but it kept me captivated the whole time. There were no meaningless romantic sub-plots and the songs were catchy and definitely worth a listen esp. Tere Liye, I love that song!
The movie is a definite must-see.