One more Masala movie released on the same day along with another masala movie Insan. One more time Sholay (1975) has been revisited and that too by Vikram Bhatt whose every movie is plagiarize of a Hollywood pictures and even this time also there are so many scenes which are lifted from different Hollywood products. Even Sholay was a mixture of 2 to 3 Hollywood movies i.e. The Seven Samurai, The magnificent 7, Once upon in a west.
This time the Thakur role is played by Rahul Khanna, Jai and Veeru roles are played by Arjun Rampal and John Abraham and Gabbar role went to the Legendary Actor Mithun Chakraborty who has made a comeback in A grade movies with Elaan and will win the nomination in the best villain category. He has given a remarkable performance after Gudiyareleased in 98.
Rahul Khanna has debuted in the commercial cinema with this movie and has done a great job. He performed his role with confidence. John Abraham has gone overboard in few sequences and also in his introductory action scene (which is a lift from First Blood 3 a.k.a. Rambo 3. I think Vikram like that action scene because he used that action scene in Awara Pagal Deewana for Sunil Shettys introductory action scene). Arjun Rampal is functional and has given a conventional performance. Amisha Patel has done a good job after Humraaz.She was looking gorgeous in this movie and got more footage than the Lara Dutta and why not she is the girlfriend of the captain of he ship, I mean the director of the film, Vikram Bhatt. Lara Dutta has done her stunts by herself (she tried to become like Lara Croft) but has nothing much to do except showcasing her attractive face and body. Ritu Shivpuri has done fine job in a short role. One wonders she should have got a full fledge role in this movie and why the directors are not casting her in their movies. Chunky Pandey has also done a fine job in a short role.
Escaping from the prison is a direct lift from Spy Game. And even Arjuns first action scene is a lift from Hard Target. The major setback in the movie is the climax. The way they trap Mithun makes you wonder if he really all that powerful (as it has been shown in the beginning of the film that his phone call can sound your death knell) and he does nothing except sitting silently in a room. What happened to all that flames, anger and poison? Elaan has few scenes lifted from Loha released in 87 and China Gate released in 98 which were also inspired by the movies The Seven Samurai, The magnificent 7, Once upon in a west. Scenes like when Shatrughan Sinha promises his son (young jugal hansraj) in the movie Loha that he will take him for holidays but the mission comes in between and he leave for mission and break his promise and also when Naseeruddin Shah wants to adopt a girl in the movie China Gate and he dies and after that Om Puri does the service. In Elaan too, Arjun make promise to his child but breaks it because of the mission and when he dies in the end Rahul adopts his child.
Cinemography is of first rate. Well penned dialogues and good choreography. Appealing background score.
As predicted, it will do a good business in interiors and its good news for Mithun Chakraborty fans that they will get to see a good movie with a good performance by the Legend. 21/2 Out of 5.
