Bollywood is witnessing a transformation, maybe slow but yes its there. At least we have the new kids on the block who are seriously attempting to defy the Bollywood standard formula. And thanks to the media and internet such movies are being watched and appreciated.
Not getting much into the storyline, the movie shows from two perspectives. One from the underworld (Prashant Narayan) and the other from advertising agency executive (Arshad Warsi).
Arshad Warsi was good trying to balance his character of various shades.
Prashant Narayan - I noticed him in Chhal and surely he is the one to lookout for. He is Naseer and Om Puri rolled into one.
Sandhya Mridul was obviously trying to shrug off her goody-goody image from the TV serials and Saathiya. Sadly she couldn't carry the character of police officer too well. Even the character's name Agni was a bit too heavy for her personality.
Suchitra Pillai as Shalu was good. Perhaps Sandhya and Suchitra could have swapped their roles for effectiveness.
If the role of Gangutai could have been changed to a male don and performed by a seasoned actor like Sayaji Shinde, it would have carried a greater impact. It was a bit hard to digest a female Mumbai don, otherwise Pratima Kazmi's performance was first-rate.
Mahima Chaudhry's track in a special appearance as herself is interlaced well into the story.
Songs are quite noticeable. Noteworthy to mention are Allah Ke Bande (by Kailash Kher) and Sajna (by Shibani). To be frank, it was the former song which compelled me to watch the movie.
As the credits rolls we see a special word of thanks to Coen Brothers, Quentin Tarantino and Ram Gopal Varma - our director Shashanka Ghosh's obvious inspiration for abstract direction styles.
The humour keeps the pace of the movie going. Actually its dark comedy - if you happen to enjoy QT movies then you will definitely like it and feel pleased that Bollywood is evolving.
This movie could be a good pedestal for the director and we sincerely hope that is roped into one of biggie production houses. Roll on Shashank - we are waiting.
