Been there, done that but watchable. Review on Thakshak

''The evil that men do goes on and on...'' blurts Bruce Dickinson in a famous Iron Maiden song of the same name. What Thakshak does is to remind us of that fact.

Choosing between right and wrong is perhaps the true test of a human being. We like to think of ourselves as being good, nice and decent people compared to the truly evil people that are found in our society. But what we don't understand is that we are only that close to evil; and a few of us are already indirectly linked to it. Right and wrong is not a choice by itself but brings along with it the baggage of family, friends; people who are extremely dear to us. Choosing to do right always means having the courage to turning against those very people on whom you depend for sustenance; those who have nurtured and sheltered you and have your love, respect and affection and yet have been involved in unpardonable acts.

How do you confront someone to whom you have sworn allegiance ? Is there a breaking point for each person before he decides that the truth must prevail no matter what the cost ? Perhaps the life of one of your own loved ones. Although no one would like to admit in public, people by nature would not fight injustice or atrocities until they themselves are at the receiving end or buried knee deep in it. Sadly but yet believably, the hero of this movie does just that.

The movie also portrays the misfortune and despair of perfectly innocent people who are harassed for no other reason than for happening to own their own home and trying to live their own lives.

Ajay Devgan is Ishaan the only son of Nehar Singh ( Amrish Puri), the henchman for Joda bhai, an underworld don involved in several illegal activities. Joda bhai's rival is Feroz. Both Joda bhai and Feroz have a penchant for acquiring prime pieces of real estate, both legally and illegally, and developing them to make more money. One such piece of property is Amritkunj, where a retired senior citizen named lives with his family. The old man refuses several overtures from both dons to buy his property. Sunny ( played brilliantly by Rahul Bose) is Joda bhai's depraved, reckless, ruthless and ambitious grandson and apparent heir to his illicit empire. Like his father, Ishaan is sworn by allegiance to protect and constantly accompany Sunny. Sunny display a brash, go-getter attitude and the way in which he coolly kills a helpless retired school teacher who verbally challenges him early in the movie leaves one shocked. As the stakes to acquire Amritkunj are raised, Sunny decides to do things his way and guns down the old owner and his family after getting the owner to sign on forged documents transferring the property to Joda bhai. Ishaan, held back by his word of allegiance is a silent and helpless spectator to all the killings of Sunny and his men. That is , until he meets Suman(Tabu) and is carried away by her simple nature and poetic talents. Suman detests violence and as Ishaan falls in love with her, he contemplates leaving the world of crime.

But things come back to haunt Ishaan as Sunny has his eyes on the property where Suman lives with her mother. Ishaan makes it clear to Sunny that he will not tolerate any attempt to acquire Suman's property. Also, by chance, Suman happened to pass by the same area when the Amritkunj killings took place and she has observed Sunny's car parked outside the compound. Ishaan does not stop Suman from testifying before the police about her observations on the night of the Amritkunj killings. News about Suman's testimony reaches Joda bhai, Nehar Singh and Sunny. Nehar arrives at Sunny's hangout to get the keys to destroy his car, but Sunny suspects Nehar of betrayal and trying to shield Ishaan's girlfriend, Suman, and in a fit of rage shoots and kills him. The rest of the movie deals with Ishaan's confrontation with Sunny and his reconciliation with Suman.

Ajay Devgan, Tabu and all the main actors give fine performances. But the standout performance is from Rahul Bose as Sunny. He gives a great portrayal of the corrupted, rich youth in the country and their mindless criminal misdeeds. The direction is top notch except for the inevitable moments of weakness where characters have to cry their way through the emotional scenes. Remember, after all, you are still watching a Hindi movie!

The movie disturbs you to think that there are characters like Sunny out there. Then, you go on to realize that many do exist in real life. As you start to empathize with the hapless victims who will eventually get in their way, you wonder, who will account for these terrorists ?