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Ek Ajnabee
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'Ek Ajnabee' Worth Watching

By Nitika Desai
Film critic, ApunKaChoice.Com

It is incredible to see that an actor in his sixties can command such a magnetic appeal on the screen, as Mr. Bachchan does. He might be bedridden nowadays, but he certainly is the spine of director Apoorva Lakhia’s movie Ek Ajnabee.

It is Amitabh Bachchan who makes this movie watchable, who breathes life and fire into it. His screen presence, his acting and his sheer charm, more than compensate for the movie’s downpoints.

The

story of ‘Ek Ajnabee’ is inspired from the Hollywood thriller ‘Man on Fire’ (that starred Denzel Washington).

Bachchan plays Suryaveer Singh, a retired army colonel. He is a grim man given to heavy drinking. Why? He has a weight on his conscience. During his service, he accidentally shot dead two children during a military operation in the Kashmir valley.

Suryaveer is called to Bangkok by Shekhar (Arjun Rampal). Shekhar is the owner of a security firm. He gives Suryaveer the job of protecting an eight-year-old girl Anamika (Ruchi Vaidya).

Anamika is the only child of a millionaire couple (Vikram Chatwal and Perizaad Zorabian). Her parents want to ensure her security because of rise in instances of kidnappings.

Initially, for Suryaveer it is just the job of a bodyguard. But the innocence of the little girl mellows him and brings moments of happiness into his otherwise grim life.

The kidnappers strike and manage to abduct Anamika. The girl’s parents are shattered. Suryaveer’s silence is like the silence before the fury of a gathering storm. He vows to avenge and starts hunting down the kidnappers.

Director Apoorva Lakhia has certainly improved a lot since his lackluster debut Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost. In Ek Ajnabee, Lakhia has stressed a lot on the movie’s form – making it slick and stylish. He has kept unnecessary songs at bay (the movie has just two songs in its running time and one during the end credits) and has focused on the speedy unraveling of the story.

The first half is without doubt engaging. The sequences between Bachchan and the little girl, how she brings about a transition in his character, are a delight to watch. This is particularly so because the child artist Ruchi Vaidya comfortably holds her stead in front of the superstar. She acts very natural.

The movie draws to intermission with the kidnapping, further elevating one’s expectations from the second half.

Post interval, the movie is strictly OK. The expected crackers just don’t happen. No doubt, Bachchan’s angry man unleashing his fury upon the kidnappers is gripping, but the way the story moves, the way he zeroes in on them, calls for much improvement in the screenplay.

However, the story does throw up a few unexpected twists and a surprise disclosure in the climax.

Amitabh Bachchan is the pivot upon which the movie rests. The superstar’s imposing screen presence, his ambidextrous ease, his heavy silences – all this lend enormous credibility to his character in the movie.

Arjun Rampal looks dashing and shows no hamming in his sequences with Bachchan. The actor breezes comfortably through his role, but offers nothing stellar.

Perizaad Zorabian gets noticed in her scenes with Bachchan. She is definitely a sensible actress and knows well how not to overdo in acting.

All said, Ek Ajnabee is worth watching because of performances and the slick cinematic presentation. The movie’s end has cameo appearances by Abhishek Bachchan and Lara Dutta. Sanjay Dutt concludes the film with his stylishly shot song during which the end credits roll.

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