’’What would be more exciting than watching a multistar cast spine chiller movie like Khakee on a chilly night in a plush theatre’’, remarked my friend of the movie. And I waited for the chilly night more eagerly than the movie itself. And finally it ’dawned’ yesternight. Soon I found myself with three other friends of mine and a whole lot junta at the same plush theatre waiting for our respective spines to get chilled..........
The story line of the movie is very simple. One does not have to break other’s head to understand what it is all about unlike some typical bollywood movies. One man branded as a deadly terrorist with across the border links has been captured by the maharshtra state police and remanded in a jail in some place called chandangarh. This man has to be ported to Mumbai for trial. Job seems very simple. But bollywood has a repository of ideas that can turn any point.
Earlier attempts to port the guy have only ported eight police officials to the next world. Hence the minister and the additional commissioner of police decide to handover this job to ’experienced’ officials like Big B (who has handled several such issues in movies like Zanjeer), warm blooded Akshay Kumar (vast experience in countless films) and a novice Tushar Kapoor (iam sorry iam not updated about his latest spelling) who has joined the (bollywood) police department recently with some very high morale. The three along with 2 constables resolve to bring back the suspect safe, sound and in one piece. And slightly over 3 hours are dedicated just for this.
The director has taken sufficient care to convince people like me who have got this nasty habit of trying to relate bollywood masala to reality; and has succeded to a certain extent. As the saying goes every culprit will leave behind a clue, so does every director who leaves behind a flaw for the critics. The movie begins on a happy note. Big B’s daughter abt to get married in fortnights (12 days to be precise) time. Preparations going on in full swing. In the meantime, Big B who is an ACP, is assigned this task of getting back the ’terrorist’. He is the mission incharge. The movie progresses very comfortably with excellent plots and foils. Every minute detail has been taken into account as preparation for the mission. A tinge of humour adds to the entertainment. A movie well begun is not always half done.
Most things are fine in the first half. Things have been goofed up in the second half of the movie. The most enlightening fact in the movie is that cops also carry a pair of denim trousers and T-shirts on deadly missions like this. Also it is surprising to see that a 58+ year old ACP who is on the verge of retirement is chasing the bad guys with a 35mm revolver and a nebulizer as against their AK47 s. It is also surprising to see tht only 5 offcials have been deputed for the mission where 8 have already failed. And then the transposition from GPO to a stadium towards the end of the movie is just the height of bollywood transpositions. The movie also highlights the importance of cellular communication.
Coming to the soundtrack, it is worth an applause. Though ther are just 3 songs which have been very uncomfortably snugged in the movie, they are just wonderful. The choreography, the locations and the music are simply great.
The starcast is just a perfect combination for a great entertainment. BigB has continued to dominate the movie with his extraordinary instincts and great dialogue delivery. Pen might be mightier than the sword but BigB’s dialogues are even mightier than the bullets. He has used them in the movie to workout things in his favor where the bullets failed. Then there is our own akki, Akshay Kumar, with his killer looks and styles and drooling nature. He is the sole source of humor in the movie.
Ajay Devgan has delivered his role of the bad guy exceptionally well. Kudos to him. This is no doubt that this is one of his finest performances. Tushar Kapoor is just there to add to the star list. And then the blue eyed Ash has continued to mesmerise the audience as well as akki. But doesnt have much of a role in this movie. Except for the one and half minute ’’contactless’’ smooching scene, 2 dance sequences and few escapes, there is nothing much worth mentioning about her. However the audience is bound to be surprised (not anymore after reading this review) at the end when they discover that she is infact doing the negative role.
Overall an excellent movie. Over 3 hours of great entertainment. I dont know whether to say its a tribute to the maharashtra/mumbai police. The movie tries to portray some of the horrible truths prevelant in our politics and police department, but in a rather unconvincing way. The audience may not feel very comfortable throughout the movie. However they will definitely be entertained.