Movie Review: Agneepath- Painfully long, horribly overplayed

Picture this, a badly beaten Hrithik Roshan, who’s torso is stabbed multiple times, is being dragged on a mountain path using a rope. But suddenly, he sees the dry banyan tree on which his father was unceremoniously hung 15 years ago and out of nowhere, all his wounds disappear. In the process he also gains enough strength to lift Sanjay Dutt (easily twice Roshan’s size) with his bare hands.

That’s right, the latest version of the 90s Bachchan classic, Agneepath, has this and a lot more for us to see, no scratch that, for us to bear. I will tell you one thing, till this morning, I was impatiently waiting for the movie to hit the screens. I was transformed into an Amitabh Bachchan believer, after watching him deliver one of his most memorable performances in the original version. The way Bachchan walked, spoke, fought and most importantly- used his eyes in the original, had made me watch it at least 7 times till date. Then I watched the recent Roshan version and well, frankly, I now believe that there are some movies you shouldn’t attempt at remaking.

I have no clue what Karan Malhotra was smoking while making his maiden venture. Was he too starstruck by the massive star cast? Was he overshadowed by the creative interference of his hit-machine of a producer and namesake, Johar? (The Koffee-cum-chat show host proudly displays his name near the title). He knew one thing, that if he were to build his story around a classic, borrow the title and use an A-lister, Roshan, in place of Amitabh-I-Am-A-Legend-Bachchan, parallels were to be drawn. There was no way that the two Vijay Deenanath Chauhans would not be compared. While Bachchan made this name immortal with his delivery, Roshan’s feeble attempt at Hindi killed it mercilessly. Vijay’s eyes, as I have already mentioned, mirror the anguish in the character’s mind. His father has been murdered after an accusation, his mother refuses to acknowledge their relationship and Vijay himself burns in revenge. Roshan gives all that he can in to the role, but still falls short. While the Bollywood superstar has turned a few heads with his newly sharpened acting skills, he will continue to live under the shadow of Bachchan’s mammoth performance.

Sanjay Dutt, looks menacing, but comes across as some sort of an irritating maniac. There is so much potential in the new Kancha Cheena, what with his Marlon Brando-look and the complexities of the character.  Dutt was possibly the best choice for the role, but disappointingly under-utilised. He needed more screen space to show the eccentricities of his character, he also could have done with better lines. In the end, what could have turned out to be an iconic villain, in the Mogambo, Dr Dang, Gabbar Singh-league, ends being a Crime Master Gogo.

Priyanka Chopra, not really sure what she was doing there.

Rishi Kapoor however, acts like this is the performance of his life. Although, not the main antagonist of the film (also a new addition to the script), Kapoor does what no other actor accomplishes through the film. He is not big, he doesn’t have Greek God-like looks, but he is a badass nonetheless. The flesh-cum-drug trader and his nastiness oozes out of Kapoor as he plays a better villain than Dutt himself.

The worst villains of the film are however the editors, who possibly popped a sleeping pill or two while they should have been vigilant enough to cut the film short. At nearly 180 minutes, it is painfully long and reminds you of Johar’s Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna days.

Final Verdict: Don’t waste your money, its really not worth it!