Written and directed by Rohit Karn Batra, Line of Descent is an umpteenth attempt to remake The Godfather with some twists. Bharat Sinha (Prem Chopra), operates an outfit with his sons Prithvi (Ronit Roy) and Siddharth (Neeraj Kabi), who threaten and usurp prime properties from hapless homeowners against their will, at throwaway prices. The youngest son, Suraj, is a beginner and his heart is not in the dirty business. But the old man is now repentant about his sins and bequeaths all his assets to his eldest son Prithvi and commits suicide.
Whilst Prithvi is determined to make amends and clean things up, Siddharth is adamant about getting a fair share of the family fortune and do more dubious stuff with the backing of Charlie (aka Charu, Brenda Fraser in a peculiar role of a Russian mafia lord). The two brothers also try to win over the youngest sibling to his respective side of doing things. Add to all this, Abhay Deol (Inspector Raghav), a no nonsense, devoted and upright policeman is assigned the responsibility of stopping the family on its tracks of crime and bring the criminals to justice.
Line of Descent has a strong storyline, albeit overused and somewhat stale, as starting with the classic Dharmatma, numerous other titles have been dedicated to The Godfather. Zulm Ki Hukumat, Sarkar / Sarkar Raj, Aatank Hi Aatank and Bhindi Bazar are some titles that I clearly recall. The latest offering has nothing different to offer - it doesn't have production values to boast of, the narrative never takes off to an exciting high, and despite every actor's sincere performance, somehow the film lacks the heart. Neeraj Kabi is perhaps the strongest contender for the top honours, but Line of Descent fails to engage.
