I would call it Ghisa-''Pitaah''!!. Review on Pitaah

Pitaah (A) is a rape-and revenge drama.It is the story of a father's fight for justice. Set in a village, it narrates the emotional tale of a labourer (Sanjay Dutt) whose 9-year-old daughter is raped by the two sons of the thakur (village chief played by Om Puri).

Being a bonded labourer, he finds it impossible to even decry the brutal rape in front of the thakur, leave alone seek revenge. To rub salt on his wounds, the thakur's lawyer tries to bribe him into withdrawing his police complaint. Not succeeding in his attempt, the thakur then bribes the two main witnesses in the case - the police inspector who had arrested the rapists on the strength of a bracelet (belonging to one of the rapists) found at the site of the rape, and the doctor who had certified that it was a case of rape and assault.

On the first date of hearing in the court, the helpless father, still hopeful that the judge would understand his case, realizes how fake the legal system is. Certain now that his daughter's rapists would go unpunished, he plans to deliver justice to himself by killing the two rapists in the court compound on the next date of hearing. After masterminding the murders, he executes them with clockwork precision and, in spite of heavy police security, flees from the court.

From then on, it is war between him and the thakur. Aware that he would not be able to fight it out, he and his wife attempt to kill their raped daughter, their two sons and themselves by consuming poison. Just as they are about to do so, the police inspector lands up there and asks him to surrender, assuring him that his family would be safe. He does so but when he is informed that the thakur is out to kill his family, he pleads with the police inspector to free him. Being basically a noble soul, the officer lets him go. In a long-drawn climax, the father avenges the wrongs by killing the thakur.

An oft-repeated story is sought to be made a bit different by treating some incidents differently. Sanjay Dutt has very few dialogues to mouth, something which is in keeping with his character but which will not go down well with the masses.

Sanjay Dutt acts ably and conveys the hurt, anger and anguish of a helpless father with conviction. Nandita Das, as his wife, is effective and expresses her frustration brilliantly. Jackie Shroff does well as the police inspector. Om Puri makes an able villain, playing the thakur with effortless ease. The three child artistes, Tanvi Hegde, Sagar and Samrat Thawani, are pretty natural. Mita Vasishth is wonderful in the limited scope she gets. Anjan Shrivastava leaves a mark. .

Mahesh Manjrekar's direction is fairly good but that's not enough. Anand Raaj Anand's music is a letdown. While 'Meri jawani kisko milegi' and 'Ram bachaye' would please front-benchers and the audience in small towns, the other songs are dull. Song picturisations also leave a lot to be desired. The background score is good in parts but too loud at other places. The Sanskrit shlokas in the background could have been effective had it been sparingly used.

Pitaah can just about prove an average fare due to the abundant action post-interval