'Aan - Men At Work'

Article Updated 04 June, 2004 07:46:07 PM IST

'Aan - Men At Work' - 'Mayhem!'

The film has nothing new to offer (the oft-repeated elements like extortion, mindless killing, encounters, the politician-underworld nexus, the tough lives of cops, and the clash of ideologies, is all there) except for a few dialogues that are very pro the police force.

For the change the Commissioner of Police (Om Puri) is not corrupt as happens in most Bollywood films. One also has to praise some of the action sequences especially the one between Akshay Kumar and Rahul Dev in which the former throws the latter from the 20th floor of a building. The action scenes in the latter half of the film are good but the ones in the first half are elaborate and slow, at times getting on your nerves.

There is a bit of realism in the film but unfortunately it is masked by the over-use of commercial elements like item songs, and the romantic number picturized on Akshay and Lara Dutta. We wonder why the romantic track between Akshay and Lara was there in the film (Lara is wasted in this flick)!

This is definitely a Firoz Nadiadwala film (senseless commercial fare), not a Madhur Bhandarkar film. Those who have enjoyed his previous flicks, 'Chandni Bar' and 'Satta' will swear by it.

Now for the story. Actually this is what the film lacks! To make up for this there is high voltage drama in many places.

Mumbai is ruled by three people, Home Minister Manik Rao (Manoj Joshi), Underworld Don, Yusuf Pathan (Irrfan Khan) and a high-profile businessman, Gautam Walia (Jackie Shroff), all hand-in-glove with each other.

Police officers at the Mumbai Crime Branch have adopted a laidback attitude towards life. Sr. Inspector Vikram Singh (Shatrughan Sinha who was regarded as a highly efficient officer once) has given up on the system. Encounter specialist, Inspector Appa Naik, (Suniel Shetty surely inspired by real life encounter specialist Daya Nayak), is of the opinion that criminals need to be eliminated. Constable Khalid (Paresh Rawal) is happy-go-lucky. However, things change when D.C.P. Om Patnaik (Akshay Kumar) is posted in Mumbai. Initially the trio find themselves at loggerheads with Om, as he does not believe in gunning down criminals.

Manik Rao gets businessman Ajit Pradhan (Milind Gunaji) eliminated by Yusuf Pathan's younger brother (Rahul Dev). So far the film was boring and lackluster but picks up from this point. Of course, it is a case of 'all's well that ends well'.

For the performances. Irfan Khan, as usual is the scene stealer and is brilliant in every scene. He even emerges superior in the scene when the cops drag him outside his house and take him into their custody. Om Puri leaves his mark even in a brief but important role. Paresh Rawal is funny as usual. However, he exits midway through the film. The audience is sure to feel cheated. Talented actors like Vijay Raaz and Rajpal Yadav do not have much scope in this film and are almost wasted. Shatrughan Sinha, back after years is a disappointment. Although he has been given a couple of good dialogues, somehow the punch is missing. He has been wasted. Despite his seniority he is playing second fiddle to Akshay. Ditto for Suniel. Otherwise he seems comfortable with himself. This is definitely a showcase for Akshay's histrionics. Jackie and Raveena fail to make an impact in their half-baked characters. Preeti Janghiani delivers in a small role. Anu Malik's item songs are good. The item girls, Gauhar Khan and Reema Sen, are good. Some good cinematography too.

On the whole, 'Aan' is hardcore masala and has great scope in the interiors. No chance in the multiplexes though!

** (TWO STARS)

*poor; **average; ***good; ****very good; *****excellent

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