AT56 ... Or is it AK56 ???? . Review on Ab Tak Chappan

Back with a Bang!!!! Both me and Nana Patekar ;-)

Daya Nayak [on whose life AT56 and Kagaar are loosely based] must be a sorely disappointed man, if I were him; my next encounter would be of Mr.N.Chandra for making a gross film like Kagar. And I would also give a piece of my mind to Ram Gopal Verma for a not so good attempt with AT56 too… YA!!! Despite all those rave reviews and huge critical acclaim that this movie is getting and deservedly so, I would say I feel let down some where. Somewhere it drifts away from the strong realism that’s always an integral part of RGV Banner.

Trust RGV to deliver a chilly narration, nail biting action scenes, crisp dialogues that thrill the masses and irk the classes. A job well done to say the least. But the story, that has got some glitches, mostly towards the end leaves a lot wanted.

Sadhu Agashe [Nana Patekar] leader of an elite team of Mumbai cops. Whose sole aim and responsibility is to crack down and terminate underworld elements who would otherwise use the loop holes in the legal system and roam free. No other guy would have done justice to this character other than Nana. The absolutely stoned and i-have-got-no-feelings-face I guess comes naturally to him. At last, for all the practice he had in the earlier films by holding such a face, even where it was not required , has finally paid off here. He is as good as an underworld hit-man, just that he is on the correct side of law. No questions asked, No justifications needed. Orders taken. Job Done. Target Eliminated.

Though all this has managed to keep him in the front pages of the tabloids , it also has made quite a few enemies for him, in the underworld , as well as within his team. Imtiyaz [Yashpal Sharma] ,undoubtedly one of the many underrated actors of bollywood has done a great job. The jealousy and resentment that eats him for always being second in line and not being a part of the limelight creates a rift between the two. You can feel the hatred in the air when these two are face to face. The movie handles these sequences very aptly.

At least one point where I would say Kagaar scores over AT56 will be, the way the protagonist’s family life has been depicted. In Kagaar there was worry, apprehension, tension, concern in their life and rightly so. In AT56, somehow it seems too casual when it comes to the family involvement. Except for one scene involving his son and one question that he asks. And a dumb one for that! There is no indication that the family is concerned in any way about the work that Sadhu does and the risk involved both for him and his family. Namita [Revathi] seems too complacent about all these things and more involved in sambhar. I would say an actress of her caliber has rather been wasted in such a role. There is absolutely nothing for her in the character to emote or enact.

From the ever vada-pav chewing Francis [Kunal Vijaykar] to the new recruit Jatin Shukla and of course Imtiyaz, The performances from them all is just too good with Nana leading from the front here also. Some witty and some hard hitting dialogues keeps the flow going and also adds some much needed humor to the otherwise grim and serious running.

Things go for a toss, somewhere mid-way when Sadhus wife is killed in a party and about the same time there is a re-shuffle in the top police officials and there is a New Joint commissioner appointed. Again here, the inter department rivalry and you scratch mine, I’ll scratch yours policy is shown superbly. The rapport Sadhu shared with Pradhan [Mohan Agashe] the earlier bosses and the freedom of working on his terms is snatched from him when Suchak [ Jeeva ]joins as the new Boss in charge. The sequences of Jeeva and Sadhu are also top-notch.

The way the characters of the underworld kingpins have been treated seriously leaves a lot lacking. They all seem like a bunch of jokers specially the character of Zameer, Mumbai’s most wanted Don operating from somewhere where there is lot of blue waters and bikini clad firangi females. The only thing he seems to be doing is court all these females, despite his inadequacy in the English language. I suppose there were better ways to show that he is powerful and flaunts wealth. And ya, the other thing he does is constantly call Sadhu and crib about why he only kills his Gang Members and not any of the rival gangs[ think its Raj-shekhar, never shown in the movie]. For Gawds sake!! Zameer! You are a DON, Be a Man, get them and Sadhu yourself. Don’t beg and plead!! Maybe, the Director should have seen Satya and Company a couple of times and then decided the character of Zameer. That would have been something to watch. In This case, this is a Major, Major let down.

Differences of opinion and favoritism lead to Imtiyaz being promoted and Sadhu resigning. A change of events lead to the hunter becoming the hunted. With Sadhu being on the other side of the law now. Rather unwanted I say, Ab Tak 56, would have been much better had the movie ended with Sadhu being on the correct side of the law. I mean, it was supposed to be the story of a cop. Why make him a fugitive , and the scene of a an Ex-Commissioner of police meeting him and requesting him to give up and turn himself in , reminded me of the Manmohan Singh Kind of climax , “Main kehta hun apne aap ko police ke hawale kar do beta , Main tumhare liye sifarish karunga” Yuck Pathetic !!!!!! We deserved a better ending.

Music, except for the back ground score , there is no sound track. Thank god for small mercies, else it would have been quite a scene watching Sadhu and Revathi shaking a leg. The back ground music again is A class. Hits you hard.

Except for these some flaws, which I wont call them minor, cos they are from the coveted RGV banner. The movie is fantastic. The movie is sure winner , though it is running to empty halls. Seriously, there were hardly 56 seats occupied when we went for it yesterday.

A must watch for the kind of audience who appreciate serious cinema ,and also for Nana. He has done the role of a lifetime. Hats off to him. Else for those who want 3 hours of melodrama and music and dance , Better stay 56 feet away from the hall.

Pick of the movie : Apne ko Sochne ka allowed nahi hai , Bas ungli hai, Ghoda Dabane ka… “