From its first look 'Lakeer' gives the impression of an action movie with the star cast comprising of Bollywood's brawny brigade of Sunny Deol, Sunil Shetty, Sohail Khan and John Abraham. But there is more to the movie than meets the eye at first. It deals with the emotions of unrequited love, longing to posses the loved one, and the conscientious battle for supremacy over the other.
The film begins with a slick pace and involves the viewer completely as choreographer-turned-director Ahmed Khan introduces the five leading characters one by one in an interesting way. Sunil Shetty plays the hearty mechanic who dotes his younger brother (John Abraham) and almost reveres the rich and powerful Sunny.
Ahmed creates an absorbing combination of sequences and takes the story to a new height by the end of the first hour when there is an attempt to eliminate Sunny. The momentum is maintained by the two vital sequences that follow thereafter. Firstly, the confrontation between Sohail, Apoorva and John in the campus. Secondly, Sunil thrashing Sohail in the college, mistaking him to be Apoorva, and thereby inviting the wrath of influential Sunny.
Just when the viewer is glued to the screen, Ahmed Khan takes the story into a different stream in the second half. The narrative strays into the love triangle theme between John , Nauheed and Sohail. And all this time Sunny is conveniently relegated to sidelines only to be given a throaty speech before the movie's fag end to show his importance in the story.
Although the love triangle theme in the latter half fails to arouse feelings in viewers, Lakeer still leaves an impression because of its stylish and visually superior look. Ahmed Khan does quite a respectful job considering that it is his directorial debut. But he needs to polish his writing skills better. Today's audience don't have stomach for those inflated sequences that were to be seen in Sunny Deol's movies a couple of years back.
Two performances that stand out in the movie are by Sohail Khan and John Abraham. Sohail shows remarkable improvement in his handling of onscreen characters since his last release 'I: Proud to Be An Indian'. In Lakeer he impresses with his portrayal of an obsessive lover who would go to any lengths to win the love of the woman he desires.
John Abraham too delivers a commendable performance and newcomer Nauheed Cyrusi has stood out and got noticed despite male dominated cast of the movie.
Sunny plays his role with conviction and Sunil Shetty is just the same as he has been in many other movies. Sunil seems to have developed a natural resistance towards his growth as an actor.
In a nutshell, Lakeer attempts to promise a wholesome entertainment with a story that has action revolving around the love triangle theme.
Bipasha with brawny men!
