Many Bollywood films lately have been working on getting the look of the film just right. Directors are realizing that a slick polished look can help even a medicore story seem entertaining .Ek Ajnabee is perfect example...To put it simply it is just another case of all style and no substance....
PLOT
Baby Rucha Vaidya, is a young girl daughter of Vikram Chatwal and Nikasha Perizaad Zorabian. Heading a happy family of three, Vikram decides to hire the services of a bodyguard for his daughter in the wake of city’s crimes.
Amitabh is invited to Bangkok by his friend Arjun Rampal to be a bodyguard of a little girl Rucha. Reason being that once upon a time, both Amitabh and Arjun had served the army as officers. And knowing Amitabh’s skills, he has no doubt that he is the best in the business.
Amitabh’s becomes Rucha’s bodyguard but their relation is devoid of that closeness. But with a passage of time a bond is developed between them!
But .......Rucha is kidnapped !!Her parents Perizaad and Vikram agree to the ransom terms but the police intervene and the kidnappers kill Rucha. Amitabh swears revenge and embarks on a shoot-and-kill mission. What happens next?
Plusses
Inspired by ’’men on fire’’, the film holds your attention from the very first sequence. The intentions of kidnappers are established at the very outset and the execution of these scenes proves director Apporva Lakhia’s command over the medium.
The first half is exciting; it is laced with tense, humorous and sensitive moments, all handled with finesse and provides a few good moments like
The squence in a swimming pool between Amitabh and Rucha.
The verbal arguement that ensues between them in a car.
The moment Rucha is kidnapped and the effort made by Amitabh to save her but in vain!
The flashback portions depicting the wars.
The interval point is among the highlights of the film. The murder of Rucha takes the film to a new zenith . This point raises the expectations for an equally engrossing second half.
Minusses
But the drama goes hay wire in the post interval portions .On the script level, there are several blemishes that could’ve been easily avoided.
1.Why did the main villian hire Amitabh as a bodygaurd ?
2.The way with which Amitabh murders those 5 culprits is least exciting.For example , a minister is murdered in free roads of Bangkok but no investigations are made!
3.Also on what ground Kelly Dorjee supports Amitabh?
Another drawback is that the film relies too heavily on blood and gore, which may not be appreciated by the women audience.For example-a finger is cut and divided into pieces! Even the bonding between Amitabh-Rucha ought to have been stronger, since there is a significant sequence in the film about how Rucha was responsible for the transformation of Amitabh into simple man!
Another flaw of the film is the predictability of the plot. If you’ve seen Men On The Fire, the film should hold no surprises for you.The climax also lacks the shock value .Infact the identity of main villian just does not come as a surprise.
Also, what could’ve been conveyed in a concise format has been stretched unnecessarily towards the second half. The narrative needs to be trimmed for a stronger impact.The music is fairly good, but it lacks a hit number . Technically, the film is on par with western standards and looks very glossy and slick.
performances
EK AJNABEE belongs to Amitabh Bachachan.The variety the actor posesses is endless and EA is another feather in the cap.He looks the character of angry old man and performs it with utmost sincerity.This is undoubtedly one of the best performances of his career.
The scene where he tries to commit a suicide is just brilliant!
Perizaad registers a strong impact despite being a male-dominated enterprise. Her outburst when Rucha is killed is praise worthy.Arjun Rampal is mediocre, mainly because the role doesn’t offer him ample scope to prove his mettle. He goes completely over the top in climax.Baby Rucha is absolute delight!
Final verdict
To put it simply , EA is watchable for the production values and Amitabh, but that should never be the selling point of a film.