Bullseye!. Review on Ab Tak Chappan

If Satya was the Bollywood's answer to the Quentin Tarantino kind of Cinema, Ab Tak Chhappan only enhances the answer. While Ram Gopal Varma's classics Satya and Company glamorized the underworld, ATC upholds the crime controllers of Mumbai, especially the controversial Encounter Cops. Shimit Amin, the editor of RGV's Bhoot, is a welcome extension of the RGV style direction.

RGV's mantra of not letting good ideas go waste due to the limited time he has with him, by handing over the reigns to capable young men (there have been no women yet, but who knows.. keep watching...) is turning out very well for Bollywood and the select audience his kind of movies has made. ATC fares well among a wider audience nonetheless, especially the ardent followers of Nana Patekar.

Slick editing (a usual with the newer RGV movies), hitting dialogues, unusual camera moves, taut screenplay with incidents coming out of nowhere to the viewers surprise abound in ATC and make it a thoroughly enjoyable affair. The life and workings of the (in)famous encounter cops are depicted in immaculate style. The involvement of the politicians in the affair, the rapport of junior-senior police officers has been depicted genuinely.

The proceedings completely lack glamour and all the incidents look real. The no-nonsense attitude shown by the police (and gangsters) makes the plot interesting. Things move at even pace throughout the movie throwing light on various aspects of an encounter cop's personal and professional life. The story digresses a bit after the interval and starts lacking the logic maintained till this point but makes sense again near the end.

A lot of reviews have said that the end looks nonsense but I beg to differ. Although there are some flaws in the screenplay which don't justify the end with respect to the events that lead upto it, its still a innovative plot. It takes the viewer by surprise.

Performance wise the entire ensemble is awesome (as with most RGV movies). Nana Patekar is in complete control of his character and makes an impression that he almost lives it everyday. His cohorts in Kunal Vijaykar and Yashpal Sharma are also excellent. While Vijaykar depicts the more easy going kind of a policeman, Sharma plays a jealous junior solely interested in making more ''encounters'' and increase the numbers in his scrap book.

Nakul Vaid plays the novice in the team with conviction. His expressions show the inexperience of a newcomer and his diction and actions hint his willingness to learn. Revathi as Nana's wife plays her small part as normal as a housewife. Hrishita Bhatt does not get much scope but overacts at times.

Prasad Purandare as the underworld down is a revelation. His chin beard and the general getup augmented by his facial expressions make his character look as real as Nana's. Mohan Agashe plays his role with integrity as does Jeeva as the corrupt commissioner of police. The background score from Salim-Suleiman is worth mentioning. RGV is the best thing that has happened to this talented music duo. The sky is the limit for them with RGV.

Things look bright for Bollywood with RGV's non-escapist cinema. The talent that he has and produces through others augurs well for the hindi movie future. Don't miss out on Ab Tak Chhappan. It would be an insult to Ram Gopal Varma.