May 15, 2001 12:22 AM
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You will not find many reviews in which I praise Hindi films. I always have this irritating to others, amusing to myself, attitude of picking them apart and exposing their flaws if any.
But this is one film that is a class apart. It could have been easily made into a fast paced English film minus the songs and would have been a decent hit. John Matthew Mathan the director of this film has done a fabulous job. It is almost semi-real and dwells shallowly on the Indo-Pak relations.
Aamir Khan is one of my favorite actors and I had to watch this film. I like him because he really gets into the skin of his character and delivers well. His transformations from the cutie pie of QSQT to chocolate boy of Dil to the wisecracker in Andaz Apna Apna to the schoolboy of Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar to the loafer in Rangeela to the nice guy in Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke to tough guy in Baazi have always fascinated me. Nowadays he does only 1 film a year. His BOX-OFFICE hit rate is the best among present actors and probably a little behind Amitabh. Mela and Daulat ki Jang are some of his worst films. His upcoming film Lagaan, I wish it the best of luck and may it do well. I am going to watch it anyways.
Back to the film. Aamir Khan plays Ajay Singh Rathod an ACP in the Mumbai police who is given an important assignment. He has to catch Veeran a Veerappanish dacoit. First he tries to cut the supply route for his weapons. He gets behind Bala Thakur who leads him to Sultan a Bombay based gangster. With the help of Inspector Salim he slowly but surely starts taking this gang apart. As his investigation continues, to his shock he comes to know that his friend Gulfam Hassan the famous Pakistani Ghazal singer is actually an ISI agent. How he decimates him and Col. Baig another ISI agent and terminates the clandestine operations of Mirchi Seth and the terror of Veeran forms the crux of the plot.
It has some real action. No blasts and jumps from building tops and so on. Just some chases and gun fights. What I like in this film is that the director believes that we the audience have brains which is not so much the case in some other Hindi films. There are some occasions for comedy what with Sonali Bendre and her ‘Don’t Mind’ antics. But ultimately the film bows under commercial pressure and keeps songs in the middle of the film. All the songs are shot well and all except one of them is non-situational. And there is that painful rain song sequence which is pushed in front of you. That Song is extremely good though audio-wise. Sonali looks hot though. The sound track is too good to be believed. Almost all songs are good and some are soulful. I have written a separate review on the sound track.
As for the performances, apart from Aamir Khan, Nasseruddin Shah is at his intense best and in some scenes steals the show as he plays the brilliant, conniving and resourceful ISI agent and singer Gulfam Hassan. Akhilendra Mishra shines through in his serene in the beginning role of Mirchi Seth. The actor who plays Inspector Salim is also brilliant.
If you see on an average the great Hindi or English films that have been hits, even their little and insignificant characters are remembered. Which one of us does not know the Corleone clan from Godfather and their unceasing (‘What’s the matter with you?)’s or the ever memorable ‘Saanday, Maanday, Tuesday, Wensday…’. Which one of us does not remember each and every small character from Sholay. So in Sarfarosh there are little characters like Pakya with his ‘Aasman Mein Lakho Taare’ and the cold blodded hitman in black played by Makarand. Others like Sultan, Bala Thakur and Veeran are also memorable.
Dialogue deliveries in this film are fabulous. They are a bit dramatic but hey they are the soul of the movie. Aamir Khan by virtue of being the hero gets most of the punch lines. On the whole I feel it is an entertaining movie and a step in the right direction as far as future action films are concerned. Reality is the name of the game here. Also there are some interesting theories or maybe realities I don’t know for sure, as to how arms and ammunition make their way from Pakistan to India via the desert on camel back.
All in all I feel this is one memorable film and should be watched by all.
