Movie Review: Agneepath

Source : I got this picture from here

Cast:

Hrithik Roshan

Sanjay Dutt

Rishi Kapoor

Priyanka Chopra

Om Puri

Director: Karan Malhotra

OK this is a week late, saw this movie last Sunday, but never got round to writing the review. Also I'm coming clean right in the beginning I never saw the original, turns out to be a blessing in disguise as there was nothing to compare. Honestly I was skeptical about Agneepath, Karan Johar is know for love stories and this is a cult film that he was tampering with. However, the promos were good and I was intrigued. The film starts off in Mandwa with a reformist school master (Vijay's father) being killed by Kancha Cheena. Vijay then just a 12-year old school boy leaves Mandwa with his mother but promises himself that he will get his Mandwa back. How he plots, plans and schemes he way back to Mandwa is the story of Agneepath. A must watch film, never mind the violence.

If I have to talk about the performances I really have to start with Sanjay Dutt, the man exudes evil like a thousand Shakaals put together (don't know Shakaal ??? google him, I'm sure there is a web page dedicated to the bald baddie who owned a secret island and fed his enemies to the sharks...me like), Rishi Kapoor as the kohl eyed human and cocaine traffiker, never ceases to amaze me, give the man any role and he gets under the skin of the character, who would have thought the chocolate hero who sang the immortal "Om Shanti Om" could say dialogues which has so much Ashanti in them so convincingly. Hrithik Roshan, he of the greek god looks is simply superb, I went to watch the movie after reading reviews that the performance was not up to the mark, I want to ask the critics, what more do they want of him, I never saw a more restrained performance of anger, pain and sadness. He spoke with his eyes, the anger, the pain, the sadness, everything... it was mind blowing. If at all the baddie seemed overpowering it was not due to any lack on Hrithik part but totally because of the way the director created the strong and awe inspiring baddie. Priyanka Chopra in the bit role as the love interest is good and there is really only so much she can do in this Vijay Dinanath Chauhan opus. Katrina Kaif has been totally wasted in this film, Malaika Arora or even a Rakhi Sawant would have done justice to the song.

Here are some of the dialogues from the film that I found simply superb:

• Shakti ka istamaal karne ke liye, shakti ke paas rehena zaroori hai.

• Mahatma Ghandhi Mandwa mein paida nahi hua the.

• Pehelwan ko maaf karne ke lie kamzor ka pehalwaan banna zaroori hota hai.

• Toh aaj se pehelwan baan ne ki mohim shuru.

• Tum kya leke aaye the aur kya leke jaaoge

And of course the poem,
Vruksh ho bhale khade, 

ho ghane ho bade,
Ek patra chhanh bhi, 
mang mat, mang mat, mang mat,
Agneepath, Agneepath, Agneepath…

tu na thakega kabhi,
tu na thamega kabhi,
tu na mudega kabhi,
Kar shapath, Kar shapath, Kar shapath,
Agneepath, Agneepath, Agneepath…

Ye mahan drushya hai,
Chal raha manushya hai,
Ashru, shwet, rakt se,
lathpat, lathpat, lathpat..
Agneepath, Agneepath, Agneepath…