Life-saving efforts of heroes will go unsung. Review on Traffic

After watching the original Malayalam movie, Traffic, the wait for the remake has been quite an agonizing time as the movie was completed in 2014 but release was delayed. This thriller starring Manoj Bajpayee also features Jimmy Shergill, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Parambrata Chatterjee, Divya Dutta, Amol Parashar and Vishal Singh in pivotal roles.

Traffic is unlike any other Hindi film, there are no stars in the movie, only actors which works in favour of the movie in a big way. This movie is about head constable Tambe who isn’t having best of days. He gets his face door-slammed by his wife, a daughter who denies to speak with him and his best pals, havaldaars Sawant and Shilwant accuse him of cheating them. To make things worse, he gets a nightlong duty during Ganpati visarjan bandobast.

This bothered constable gets swallowed in deafening explosions, clanging, flashing and thrashing; being attacked from all directions. Every screaming face mocking at his plight and suddenly he snaps, splurges into the crowd and pulls out his gun(most jaw-dropping moment). The story starts revolving around ordinary people and how they behave when faced with extraordinary situation. An accident occurs and how previously strangers get interconnected and muddles them on a journey to save a 12-year-old girl’s life, who needs a heart transplant and they have a donor. The root of the story is how cops will get the donor’s heart to the hospital in time, between city’s peak hour.

Manoj Bajpayee is the only reason that made me go and ogle for this movie. This talented actor gives some captivating performance in this thrilling drama. Jimmy Shergill is incredible as usual and Divya Dutta exemplifies a mother who wants to save her child intensely.

Everyone is doing well, but what lacks is the original essence that was seen in the Malayalam movie. Those intertwined but yet simplified story and sense of urgency that can be felt – which worked for the audience is lost.  Beating heart waiting to be transported and transplanted, but Pillai was unable to recreate the case sensitivity.

Little disappointment as regards the execution of the plot. The talent encrusted in the movie could have been used to a much better level of filming and a thought out process was really in need.  Schematic and intertwining is the complicated part of the movie. Not much there to be watched for storyline but can be enjoyed once just for the talented actors.