What does Amirabh Bachhan & Sachin Tendulkar have in common? Sachin sets a new record whenever he comes to bat and so does Amitabh with his new movie. I?ve hardly finished with praising him for his wonderful acting in Baghbaan then he returned with another rock solid performance in Khakee. And this time Big B is looking much bigger than ever.
Things have not changed much since the 1973?s ZANJEER. The level of energy, the level of involvement, the level of aggression, the level of determination.. Khakee has got all the pros that Big B might had missed in Zanjeer.
He was an angry young cop that time, fighting with the dons & gali ka gundaas. But now he has grown old. And he is completely unsatisfied with the kind of work he did for police department. He desperately wants to prove his mettle before he gets retired. So our DCP Anant Shrivastava (Amitabh Bachchan) is finally asked to go on a life-threatening mission. And soon he discovers that he is not fighting with the dons & gali ka gundaas, but this time his real enemy is his department itself for which he was ready to bet his life. His real enemy is ?Khakee? of which he was proud of.
The death-match tournament
I?ll not commit any mistake by revealing the story but will just give you an idea about it.
When a team of police officers fails to transfer alleged ISI agent Iqbal Ansari (played brilliantly Atul Kulkarni) from Chandangadh to Mumbai, a new team is assigned to the task. And this convoy consists of :
DCP Anant Shrivastava (Amitabh Bachchan) who is at the fag end of his career. And what could be the worst time for a mission than a time when he was busy with the arrangements of his daughter?s marriage? He is old and is suffered with asthma. Though he can?t run for long even while jogging, his spirits are sky high.
Senior Inspector Shekhar Verma (Akshay Kumar) .. a unrestrainedly and immorally self-indulgent cop who doesn?t mind taking bribe for anything. Often busy in romancing his girlfriends, uses sleek cells phone & carries an expensive Swiss watch. For him, this mission means not more than a suicide. Despite of his efforts of escaping from the mission, he eventually forced to participate.
Sub Inspector Ashwin Apte (Tusshar Kapoor) a newly joined young soul who is loyal to his duty and can?t stand any misbehavior. Very enthusiastic & determined to do something.
Two sincere constables accompany this trio.
A social worker Mahalaxmi (played by Aishwarya Rai) joins the team at Chandangadh.
Ajay Devgan, playing negative for the second time, makes sure that the things don?t turn rosy for the DCP.
But guys, story is not that simple. It turns rapidly and springs surprises from time to time. And the greatest surprise unfolds in the last few minutes.
Bass, is se jyaada aur kuch nahi bataunga
Lords of the ring
Let me start with the line, Amitabh stills the show!. If the young cricketers learn book shots by watching Sachin at the crease, students of the acting schools (& our nation?s ?heartthrobs?) should mold themselves by watching Big B. He gets better with every dialogue delivery, each dramatic scene & emerges as the sole winner.
Incidentally, our director Rajkumar Santoshijee has one tradition. The protagonist in his movies bags the national award. How can one forget Sunny Deol in Ghayal, Minakshi in Damini, Anil Kapoor in Pukaar and yes, Ajay Devgan in The legend of bhagatsingh ?
And I?m sure, this year amitabh will walk away with this honorable award.
Akshay shines as a bindaas police officer. He excels in a every comic sequence.
Tusshar has a long way to go. Director has given him few very good scenes but still he struggles. You won?t believe but in one scene, a Tv actress dominates him in dialogue delivery. Being in a Santoshi?s movie, (who always gives his heroines a strong role) Aishwarya had a lot to do. She delivers it with ease.
Following the Hollywood?s formula of casting successful heroes as stylish villains, we have Ajay Devgan in a villainous role. But in the name of style he goes on smoking tones of cigarette sticks. Atul has lived up to the expectations and was natural.
Technically speaking..
After a long time, (I think after ?Sarfarosh?) I?ve seen such a tight script well supported by brilliant screenplay. Unlike other typical bollywood action flicks, you can not predict the story. Dialogues by Santoshi are sharp & impressive. Being an action movie, one has to give lot of attention to action sequences. And Santoshi?s favorite action director Tinu Verma delivers this time too. He successfully executes action scenes at conventional places like, on running train, in village bazzar, in old house, etc. Background score was good but I think could have been a bit better.
Khakee does have some unwanted songs including foot tapping number ?Aisa hai koi dilwala re?
Last words..
Don?t think twice, don?t refer to any other reviews just take my word and go for Khakee. Amitabh carries this film solely on his (still) strong shoulders. He is clearly the Lord of bollywood?s ring. (I can write a whole new review based on his acting alone!)
Solid performances, light humor, thrilling action and a meaningful script make Khakee a good entertainer. Don?t miss it just as you never miss Sachin?s batting.