After making Sarfarosh some years back, John Mathew Matthan comes up with Shikhar.

Star cast: Ajay Devgan, Shahid Kapoor, Amrita Rao, Bipasha Basu, John Abraham (Super Short guest appearance- sorry gals!).

Shikhar is the story of a builder (Ajay Devgan) who wants to achieve his ambition at any cost. His ambition is to build a whole township (city) .But, the only hindrance to his dream is an ashram and some adivasis (tribals) living on the proposed site. The ashram is being run by Shahid Kapoor’s father, a retired industrialist. Since Shahid Kapoor’s father is not willing to move his ashram, Ajay Devgan comes up with a devious plan .The balance part of the movie is a story of greed vs. humanity.

Ajay, Shahid, Bipasha and Shahid’s father in the movie have all come up with good performances. Though none of the performances can be counted as memorable, their acting is steady and reliable. Amrita Rao is becoming better but still needs to hone up her acting skills.Shahid Kapoor is developing into a fine actor and he excels in many scenes.

Though none of the songs are chartbusters, they are definitely in sync with the mood of the movie. The background score is quite good. The dialogues are good in parts. The movie consists of some situations which evoke smiles but not laughs.

On the negative side, the movie is slow in many parts and drags sometimes. The movie would be considered boring by the general public.

Memorable Moments

1)     Opening credits- While the opening credits are being rolled out with the background song and birds, animals, etc, you can literally feel the purity of nature.
2)     Towards the end, when Shahid Kapoor cries out for his father in the woods.
3)     Title song- Though the song would not be liked by the general public, I loved it.
4)     When Shahid is being beaten up by goons near the slums.

To sum it up, the director has made a sincere attempt to make a good movie and he should be appreciated for that. He has made a point to highlight social issues such as deforestation, proliferation of slums, alcoholism and excessive greed of mankind. The movie is a sensible one which entertains you in parts. I would not say that it is a must watch but would definitely recommend it whole-heartedly.

Don’t watch this movie if-

1)     You think the sole purpose of movies is entertainment.
2)     You disliked Swades.
3)     You don’t like movies that preach.

Plot Revealed In The Review:	Somewhat revealed
Best to watch with:	Family
Movie Genre:	No Comment
Best part in the movie:	No Comment