September 19, 2009 Anjali
Rating - ***.5
Cast: Kamal Haasan, Venkatesh, Lakshmi, Ganesh Venkatraman, Bharat Reddy and others.
Banner: Raajkamal Films International & UTV Motion Pictures.
Cinematography: Manoj Soni.
Dialogues: Neelakanta.
Music: Shruti Haasan.
Producer: Kamal Haasan & Ronnie Screwvala.
Director: Chakri Toleti.
Release Date: September 18, 2009
Commissioner Eshwar Prasad gets a phone call from a man who claims to have planted bombs all over the city. He assembles a team to save the day while negotiating with the man, whose demands and motives are not clear till the end.
It's crisp and compact, and even though there is a certain amount of predictability in the storyline after a point, it never goes down. The movie stays afloat because of the sheer strength of the sensitive subject, and more so because of the sensitive handling. The dialogue is kept short for the most part, and the ego hassles between the commissioner and the General Secretary, the terrorists views, etc., garner the most word play; the conversations between the commissioner and the man threatening to blast the city are the key exchanges, but those are the ones that are kept, for obvious reasons, sharp and quick.
There are some loose endings and some questions are left unanswered/not established, like why he goes and plants the bags other than the first one in the police station. How exactly the commissioner knows the location of the man is also not established in the end. These are ignored in the bigger conflict circle of philosophy, society and humanity. Religion, although seems an obvious looming factor, is actually a smaller concern once the (slightly predictable) twist becomes clear.
The actors in the movie do a good job, including the two big stars, along with the actors who play the other vital parts. Officer Gautam proclaiming 'duty first', shooting his colleague, giving the TV interview all with a poker face are some of the entertaining moments in the movie. Arif Khan's character, the actor who's done a good job, and the dubbing given for him combine to make an asset. The teeth-cleaning aloof policeman, the 'IIT dropout' whizkid, the petty thieves and the big criminals, all are distinct and interesting.
The ending is a highlight. The pace is such that the movie, although has many moments, is never overtly gripping. Nor does it shake and pierce through one's thought the way a Black Friday does. Still the message is loud and clear, and if that doesn't touch, nothing will.
Venkatesh has a Gharshana hangover, but does a fine job all the same. His makeup is overdone though. Kamal Haasan delivers, no surprises there either. Music by Shruti Hassan is okay; good if the first attempt is considered.
A strong script, a moving idea, good direction and a host of characters make the movie worth a watch.
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