RGV Ki Aag’s story and concept has no doubt been adapted from the classic Sholay, nonetheless the film comes as below average as the screenplay is tacky and loud, the characters resemble over the top caricatures and finally the execution is plain and holds nothing extraordinary. The modern day setting of a village with no law and order system in the midst of Mumbai seems implausible and strange. Locations and costumes are in poor taste. Dialogues too remain poor substitutes for the original ones. Performances are not able to replace the earlier characters mark nor are they able to impress on their own. The film often resembles a spoof or a take off. It is a below average film.
The film has been directed by Ramgopal Varma and the screenplay has been done by Rahil Qazi. It stars Amitabh Bachchan as Babban, Ajay Devgan as Heero, Prashant Raj as Raj, Sushmita Sen as Durgah, Nisha Kothari as Ghungroo, Mohanlal as Inspector Narsimha etc. The music for the film has been composed by Ganesh Hegde.
The film is set in a village called Kaligunj where there is no law and order system at all. Babban is the terrifying, psychopathic underworld don who has been terrorizing the village inhabitants for decades now. Inspector Narsimha and Babban have an old grudge against each other, as Narsimha had murdered his brother and in return the evil Babban had viciously eliminated Narsimha’s entire family. Narsimha and his widowed daughter-in-law Durgah are the only ones who were spared. Narsimha vows revenge and enlists two young buddies Heero and Raj who have just come to Mumbai city.
Heero and Raj are best buddies and come with their own dreams and aspirations to Mumbai, but the city has other plans in store for them. They come to Kaligunj village and here their life seems to completely change. Narsimha trains them to avenge his family’s death and there are their parallel love tracks where Heero falls for the village’s tomboy Ghungroo and Raj falls for Narsimha’s widowed daughter-in-law Durgah.
Varma’s adaptation of a classic like Sholay can by no means be compared to the original. The screenplay has too many excesses, there is too much violence, the comic streak falls flat, the romance element is disappointing and the avenging sequences are bloody and gory. Varma seems to have concentrated on imitating the original characters and that’s one of the reasons the film does not work. Aag’s characters come across as caricatures and seem unrealistic. The production values too are loud and garish. The romantic track between Ajay Devgan and Nisha Kothari comes across as tacky and too much of screen space is wasted on the two. Even the other love triangle between Sushmita and Prashant Raj does not come across as mature. There is an overdose of action with violence dominating the village. The look of the film is also extremely outdated and it often resembles a 70’s kind of jarring look.
Even the menacing villainous act by Babban comes across as average and at times over the top. His look and mannerisms are different but the dialogues and his role are what let's his character down. Heero as Ajay Devgan is a complete waste in the comedy scenes as he is unable to pull off the lighter scenes at all. Prashant as Raj is just about fare but is not able to carry off his act consistently throughout the film and falters on several occasions. Sushmita Sen as Durgah has a smaller role and tries to do justice to her role but it has not been etched out well in the first place. Nisha Kothari as Ghungroo tends to ham and go over the top with her acting at times. Mohanlal’s performance is okay but again here it is his dialogue delivery which lets him down. The other numerous characters who are seen on-screen are loud and tacky.
The music of the film is a total letdown and even the portrayal of the Mehbooba song seems crass and vulgar with Urmila’s gyrating. The cinematography is inconsistent and goes from dark, to subtle to over the top all at the same time. The dialogues are forgettable.
Overall Ramgopal Varma’s Aag has a screenplay filled with inconsistencies, the execution is lackluster and the performances are unenthusiastic. Hence Varma’s Aag is total letdown even as a film by itself and is below average.
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| Reviewed By: Rachel Fernandes |
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