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By Tushar Joshi Š2002 Bollyvista.com |
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Credits
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| Producer/s: |
Boney Kapoor, Ram Gopal Varma & Ashwini Dutt |
| Director: |
Ram Gopal Varma |
| Cast: |
Ajay Devgan, Manisha Koirala, Vivek Oberoi, Antara Mali, Mohanlal |
| Music: |
Sandeep Chowta |
| Lyrics: |
Nitin Raikwar |
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Ramgopal Verma has a knack for making films that are close to reality. Be it the fatal attraction of a female in Pyar tune kya kiya, the infatuation of a young boy with a film heroine in Mast or the portrayal of a pawn used in the underworld game in Satya, his characters have always been close to real life.
Similarly in his latest offering, 'Company' Verma paints a dark and stark portrait of the murky and obscenely dangerous lives of the underworld gangsters. Satya can be called as a trailer or a snippet of what Verma has offered in Company. This time there is more blood, violence, and gore. But all this is not pointless and irrelevant; every scene captured in Company is loosely based on the actual workings of the underworld gangs of Dawood, and Chota Shakeel. Verma has gone on record to deny this, but someone who does read and know a bit about the dark dealings, will have no two thoughts about this.
Malik Bhai (Ajay Devgan) is a big shot gangster who is after taking over all the small gang lords operating in Bombay. With Chandu (Vivek Oberoi) he finds a greater strength to do what he wants, and slowly they take over the entire city, even branching out in Hong Kong, from where they operate their deals to evade arrest. Everything seems to be in place, until an event changes the course of things to happen. The friends turn into foes, and the duo of Chandu and Malik suddenly start seeking each other's blood. The journey of Chandu from a local small time gangster, to the right hand of Malik, and then a challenger in the field of the underworld is the basic plot of Company.
This plot is intricately woven with other characters, such as the other team members, Chandu's mother played by Seema Biswas, the love interests of Malik and Chandu played by Manisha Koirala and Antara Mali respectively, and the police officer played by southie bigwig Mohanlal. As the story progress, each character has something to offer, acting as a catalyst towards the final climax. Though the focus is on the rivalry of Malik and Chandu, there are a lot of other parallel stories and events going on that draw the viewer's attention.
Company is a technically more sound film than Satya. The camerawork, the background music, the locales used, all add up to the mood of the film. If Satya gave Bhiku Mhatre to the audience, then Company offers you Chandu, a name that will linger on the audience's memory as they leave the theatre. Kudos to Verma for extracting a first rate performance from newcomer Vivek Oberoi. He has the right look, the intensity, and the personality to do maximum justice to the character. The innocence that he shares with his mother in contrast to the killer's instinct that he adopts in the Company is praiseworthy. The audience have definitely acknowledged his presence, and marked his arrival in the industry. Ajay Devgan has always played his characters with the intensity they demand. This time around too he fits the role of Malik like a glove. His silence, and the expression in his eyes speak a thousand words, something that is very difficult to achieve. Mohanlal does come along with a dose of his heavy southie accent, which is a bit hard to stomach in the initial phase, but slowly it blends nicely into his character. His scene with Chandu in the hospital is top class, and inspite of a language barrier, he crosses it with his sheer acting skills. Manisha Koirala doesn't have much to do, but does ample justice to whatever is asked. She has a new look, and the audience has taken to it favorably. Antara Mali impresses in her role as Chandu's love interest who struggles to keep her happy life intact. The scene that she has with Ajay Devgan, pleading to save Chandu, is top class, and she should definitely get better roles after this. Seema Biswas as Chandu's mother is again a well-etched role, and Seema makes the most out of it. The relation between a mother seeing her son being drawn into a viscious web, and her son who wants to see his mother happy is well portrayed.
Sandeep Chowta has again excelled in the background music score. His use of tablas, heavy bass beats, and the song, 'Ganda hai par dhnda hai yeh' takes the film onto a higher level. 'Khallas' is a relief in a very tense and tight script. The captain of the ship, Ramgopal Verma has made film that has a good cast, some excellent performances, and sound technicality. Comparison with Satya will be obvious, but Company is definitely a more in-depth and detailed view of the dark underworld happenings. His research on the topic helped make the story seem very real and not larger than life. However, it seems as though the news 'Aaj tak' is being blatantly promoted in the movie, with its regular snippets in the scenes, which get a bit irritating.
The commercial success of Company cannot be foretold, but in Bombay and metros, the movie has taken a grand draw, and those wanting serious, intense, reality based cinema will lap up Company instantly. For others all I can say is that, besides entertainment Company has a lot to offer, in terms of cinema making, and to enjoy that it would be advisable to go have a look at Verma's Company! |
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