Wednesday, September 5, 2007

AAG se BHAAG!


I am still wondering what it was? Was it a remake, or a tribute or a spoof? Two and a half hours of disjointed scenes those neither impress nor express. The way Mr. RGV has taken the story forward; he has gone ahead with the assumption that everyone has seen Sholay. So he never bothers to etch out the characters, or establish the conflict or create drama. Each scene just comes and goes making you wonder whether it’s a remake of the original, or a tribute or a mere spoof.
I don't even want to list here, how the changes made in this "re-interpretation" have totally worked against the narrative. Or how the scenes that have been retained have become a poor parody... Let's just talk about this AAG... sorry! RGV ki AAG.
The background score that tries to copy Sholay goes insanely wrong whenever it tries to do something original. So here we have “Ye dosti hum nahi chhodenge” in the background when Heeru-Raj decide to go to Kaliganj, the mouth-organ piece when Raj looks “oh so lovingly” at Durga “Deviji” and the slow instrumental version of “Ye Dosti” when Raj dies. Most of the times, you’ll hear pieces of music that you’ve heard before in Bhoot, Vastushastra and other RGV films.
Some of the shots are interesting but nothing to carry home. May be just the one with Amitabh tossing the apple up in the air towards the camera. I am sure, I will come to know in a day or two that the shot was borrowed from some European film.
Amitabh Sir tries to be sincere in a role which can best be described as a caricature of Gabbar. His expression, just before he kills Jai, is amazing.
Rest of the cast, lesser said the better. Mohanlal takes pause within sentences thus changing the complete meaning of the sentence but who cares! Ajay looks like a retard every time he tries to be funny but who cares! Nisha hams so much you feel like shooting the screen but who cares! Prashant speaks in two voices. Surprised, may half way through the film, he joined voice-modulation classes. He should ask for a refund. But then, who cares! Sushmita Sen shouldn’t have done this film but then she isn’t doing anything in the film either so who cares!
RGV wanted to make this film and he did it. All that the critics and viewers can do is make fun of it after they have watched it. But again, if they have watched it once, RGV’s mission is accomplished.