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'Aks'

By N K Deoshi
Film critic, ApunKaChoice.Com

“Aks” can better be described as an adman’s adventures with the cinematic form to tell a story that is abstract and strewn with preternatural tones.

The film explores different shades of a human being rather than simply defining things in black and white without touching upon the gray areas that form the crux of life. The concept is novel, the plot taut and the attempt by the director (to do something unconventional) is daring but the film veers off into the land of chaos and confusion in the second half.

The setting is Budapest (Hungary) and Manu Verma (Amitabh Bachchan), security chief of Indian Defense minister (Amol Palekar) has a job to do. A cold-blooded serial killer Raghavan (Manoj Bajpai) is out to assassinate the minister because he wants a floppy containing the top-secret information.

Manu’s

sixth sense tells him Raghavan is nearby, stalking them like a bid of prey and he literally feels him breathing down his neck. He is right. Raghavan kills the minister and flees with the floppy. Raghavan’s next target is the Prime Minister of India.

Manu is a dedicated cop with a young and beautiful wife Supriya (Nandita Das) and a cute and effervescent daughter. His search for Raghavan takes him from the clean streets of Budapest to the squalor-ridden Mumbai bars where he comes across Raghavan’s confidante Neeta (Raveena Tandon) a svelte bar dancer. After a series of chases, Manu nabs Raghavan.

On the day Raghavan is to be executed he makes a desperate bid to escape but Manu foils his attempts. What follows is riveting action sequences before Raghavan is killed in a shoot out. But the question arises – is Raghavan really dead? Here Rakesh Mehra dabbles into Philosophy from Gita that “Body is mortal but not the spirit which is eternal.” And what if his spirit enters Manu’s body to fulfill his dastardly motives?

The look of the film speaks volumes about Rakesh’s credentials as an ad-filmmaker. He brings about a riot of colors on the screen and strews the plot with subtleties. For instance, the Ramleela song that has a much greater relevance in the latter half of the film. However, he seems to draw a lot of inspiration from Hollywood flicks like “Face off”, “Fallen” and “Mission Impossible”.

Amitabh Bachchan delivers yet another consummate performance as the never-say-die cop. His quicksilver transition from a dedicated security officer to a mellow husband and slaphappy prankster father and again to a gore-loving killer (in the second half) is superb. Nandita Das maintains her customary ease before the camera playing his under-aged wife, but is wasted in a role that puts her on the margins.

Manoj Bajpai’s portrayal of the impassive assassin with a passion to spill blood is pretty good but not exceptional, as his on-screen performances normally turn out to be. He does lend a psychotic touch to his character and his screen presence is convincing but there are times when he seems to overdo it.

As a bar dancer Raveena Tandon looks gorgeous and chips in for the zing factor in an otherwise chaste story. Her hot love sequences and raunchy dance numbers are something to look forward to although her striptease act in a slinky (but not skimpy) dress is a bit of a disappointment for those who have seen Demi Moore do it.

In a nutshell “Aks” is a welcome respite for the movie buff sated with the saccharine sweet romantic capers.

Rating: Worth watching.

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