'Company' opens with Malik's haunting introductory monologue about the underworld and this is followed by Urmila Matondkar's bloodthirsty sadistic number, the tune of which will echo throughout the film. The song sequence itself, 'Aaja re Mere Gale Lag ja' describes the underworld. 'Company' ranks among one of Ram Gopal Verma's best and one of the best crime films of Indian cinema. A fellow commenter has wonderfully made comparisons with Shakespeare's King Lear. Sahni's writing is of high quality and it just keeps one's eyes glued towards the screen.
There are several words that can describe the film-making. A few that pop up include: realism, slick, gritty, stylish without being over the top, and fine editing. Cinematography deserves special mention as the camera acts as an eye. Use of lighting is remarkable as this gives the city and crime-world a darkly raw look and use of sound effects e.g. the ringing mobile phones is skillfully done.
The songs are thankfully relegated to the background except for one, 'Khallas'. All the songs add to the narration and 'Khallas' is a situational song that takes place in a nightclub, the lyrics of which cleverly describe the events.
Verma also displays the relationships between the characters in a very concise manner. Even though, the main focus is the relationship between Chandu and Malik, with just a few scenes who shows us the significance of the connections between the other characters. For example, just that one scene where Saroja is in bed telling Malik about her mother's wish for them to get married is enough of an indication of their bond.
Ajay Devgan formidably underplays his part. He could safely add 'Company' at the top of his list of achievements. Vivek Oberoi delivers a knockout debut performance. The actor has shown tremendous potential and like Devgan, he too can add this to the top of his list. Mohanlal is adequate. However, I don't quite understand this respect he has for Malik. The guy's a cold-blooded killer (well he has other's to do the dirty work) and Sreenivasan is shown as a good cop so what's the basis of this mutual respect? Manisha Koirala again does what she's best at doing. She gives a subtle but enigmatic performance. Seema Biswas is likable and she naturally gets under the skin of her part. Antara Mali is mind-blowing, and like the men, she too can include 'Company' at the top of her list.
Finally, 'Company' is Verma's masterpiece. He's the one who brought it all together to make the film and tell the dark story of the underworld. One of the best films of the genre.
