In the Mediocrity of mainstream bollywood movies, agneepath is one of
the most moving and engrossing movies i have seen in the past couple of
years. Especially when compared to trash like dabanggs, readys,
bodyguards, delhi bellys of the world and other dirty pictures.
Agneepath is pure action with no nonsense or dilution of comedic bull
shit. Its about Revenge and at any cost. The angry young man (or even if
you want to call him the anti-hero) is back and with a bang. The movie
has its 70s bollywood and maa-behan type cheesy moments and could have
been 15 mins shorter but i am ready to overlook all that just because of
its sheer 'being true to the story' treatment. Hrithik Roshan
establishes once again that he can play almost ANY role with elan and is
not limited to any genre or fan following and the Khans can shove it up
theirs. A 10/10 from my side.
The best part about
Agneepath is its not following the original and 'adapting' it rather
than 'remaking'' it. Even though the basic plot is taken from the
original, the new characters, the twist and turns, the double crosses,
the triple crosses make you engrossed in the movie throughout. Even
though at some points the movies goes too bollywoody with the usual maa
behan episodes, pitaji ke sanskaar, baap ki maut ka badla type cliches
enter, the film still does not seem to bore and you just ignore those
and move on. These could not have been avoided because all these cliches
form the base of the story in itself.
Agneepath is one of
the few movies in the past (say 5 years) which rests on phenomenal
performances of almost all of the lead characters. The actors are not
playing characters. They ARE the characters. Be it the scary Kancha or
Rauf lala played ammmmmazingly kick ass by Rishi Kapoor. Not to forget,
Hrithik Roshan who shows everybody that HE is THE actor in bollywood.
He does not care about a loyal small town audience or playing the same
Rahul/Raj even though playing a super hero. He is an ACTOR first and
STAR later. He can play a retard in Koi Mil Gya or a Superhero in Krrish
or an Angry Young Anti Hero in Agneepath and still be brilliant in any
role. Be it Fiza or Mission Kashmir or Kaho na Pyar hai, he can play
different characters and not get limited to any one style or genre. Hats
Off. You have just found a fan in me after Agneepath. Apart from these 3
other characters (including priyanka) just lie on the sidelines but
don't feel a misfit in any scene.
Another thing i really
loved about the movie is the detailing and not compromising on any
aspect of film making. Be it the background score which reminds you of
The Dark Knight and Sarkaar Raj. The Art Direction and horryifying Sets
of Mandwa, the Voldemort look of Kancha, The dark cinematography and
everything around it. It just seems like one of the most complete films
in the recent times.
Also, Let me be very clear (for the
purists and the cool ones) that Agneepath is not path breaking 'cinema'
but as a mainstream bollywood movie, so please don't get 'cinematic
brilliance' in the picture. The movie is in competition with the
bullshit served by the so called A list actors. It is a slap on the
face for all those 150 Cr plus box office collections made through
'loyal fans' and over the top/ in your face marketing. The movie works
on the narration, treatment and performances and not because the lead
actor is shaking a leg in some malls or on dance/comedy shows. Not
because the hero acts like a retard and people laugh over the
stupidities but because the lead actor is able to involve the audience
in his story of revenge and you want him to win in the end at any cost
and avenge his father's death.
Yes, the movie is about 15
minutes longer than ideal, has its share of cliches and cheesy
dialogues, has a couple of songs which were not required, has the usual
Hrithik's greek god bodyshow and all that. But still all that can be
ignored because the movie 'moves' you. You feel for Vijay throughout and
are relieved when he kills Cheena and then dies 'peacefully'
Overall
: One of the most complete films in the last few years in bollywood. A
Slap on the face for the so called Stars and an absolute must must watch
for anyone
Feel-O-Meter: 10/10 (Yes, i am ignoring all the negatives here. The movie 'moved' me and that's what cinema is supposed to do)