Two weeks ago, I was among the few unlucky peoples to know about death of one of the guys staying near my residence. He was from Benaras and very brilliant student, qualified the Prelims of Civil Services and waiting for Final,...before which something happened which rubs off your trust into any civilized society.
A resident security guard was being beaten in the broad daylight by two drunken residents, with hockey sticks and lathi, in Delhi's posh area, Gujranwala town, where every one was silent onlooker. This guy along with 3 friends was passing through that area and watched this. He tried to save the security guard, and for this he had to pay with his own life. His friends just looked him being killed by knife.
A boy with dream in eyes, from Banaras, was killed brutally in his 24th year far away from his parents in cruel Delhi, where civilization is raped daily.
Viruddh is a movie which covers the characters and emotions, involved in such incidence to which every family is on target list, where the civilization teaches us to stay away from each other and cry and laugh upon your own shoulder.
It's not an usual family drama and passes with high on content and no melodrama.
Story is excellent: Viruddh is a true story which happened with Mahesh Manjrekar's friends family. It is story for every middle class family who are living in the current time. When a simple middle class family's single child(John Abraham) is killed just in order to save the innocent, and his so called close friends turn hostile amid all, ...the retired old father( Amitabh Bachchan) and mother(Sharmila Tagore) do the single handed fight against the system to get the justice on their own way.
I will not tell the story in detail as I wish with true heart that you watch this movie with your parents and family. It's a story with which most of us will connect with and you will never feel like a movie.
Power stays with performance, screenplay, story and direction:
The first half of the movie is completely light hearted and jovial. It portrays the warmth in relation bewteen Son(John) Dad and Mother and how they support each other. Also the way entry of Sanjay dutt has been dealt and finally his emergence as a well wisher of the family is very heart touching.
Regarding the performance I will come later in detail.
The screenplay is very tight and movie is fulll three hours without any song, and it keeps you glued . Mind it not a single person was whispering till the end of the movie...it was so much heart piercing!
One must acknowledge that After Vaastav, Sanjay Manjrekar has shown his brilliance again, and it's very clear that this craftsmanship has come directly from heart. I rate Virrudh at par of Vaastav or above it.
Mahesh Manjerakar returns back after likes of PLP with much grace. Good direction.
Performance: Everyone was excellent and really excellent
When you get such a powerful and novel storyline, strong direction and above all performance...you can't ask for more. You see...for the first time I have liked John Abraham. He was brilliant and was never before such a good actor. As a died son being a sutradhar(Narrator) as well as alive he was charming and narrated the whole story excellently. I must say that now onscreen only John looks real son of Amitabh after Abhishek, and just before Akshay. His chemistry is excellent as well as the warmth.
Anusha Dandekar is surprise: A girl first time in movie leaving strong impact on you in a small but punchful role. It's tough to locate nice actors these days but what Anusha Dandekar has done in her first role, is very remarkable. Her sponteniety is good. She deserves more plauidts. She has played the role of John's wife who is a Britton.
Sanjay Dutt : Had small but significant and touching role He is here for small role but from start to end. his relation development with Amitabh is unique. He touches youer heart deeply as Ali BHai in small but damdar role.
Sharmila Tagore has done respected and full justice to her comeback. If filmfare award goes to her for best supporting star to her, it would be no surpirse. I was just quizzed that how good she was even after so many years that AB and she looked like just real couples. I must say she is better than Hema Malini of Baghbaan.
Black, Waqt, B&B, Sarkar and now Viruddh.......it looks Amitabh Bachchan is here this year to set something sort of standards which I don't feel anyone would be ever able to break.All different roles with great accuracy.
Amitabh of Viruddh is at par of AB of Black & Sarkar, trust me In first half he keeps on joking and full of comedy, but as the second half arrives he shows the depth of gloominess, a deserted father who is so warm in heart but made arrogant by the system. A rigid man to give peace to the wandering soul of his son whom they lost on his birthday evening itself.
By God, Amiatbh Bachchan with Virudhdh has again proved that he is not a normal personality or actor. He is godgifted. After watching the movie before the end of final scene Sharmila Tagore was so much touched by AB's performance that she was unable to perform the last scene.
Best scenes: Though even after the movie, the movie will hang into your mind. It has happy ending. Some best scenes are:
1) Amitabh Bachchan wearing the monkey cap second time and tries to escape the army rule of sharmila.
2) Sanjay Dutt and AB's interactions and Sanjay's dhunai with chadi by Sharmila Tagore.
3) When all the family member retire after the first dining together and Amitabh acts for a drink.
4) All scenes of John Abraham and specially that sceen where John was dying before his dad's eyes. He was expecting that like always his father will come to rescue him and save his life. Dad koi jaadu ki chadi fir se chalayenge and mujhe bacha lenge. The pain of a loosing father and the son having a hope till he dies.
5) The first scene between Khandekar and AB in Lockup.
6) The scene where AB tries to laugh as he was used to do in the laughing club.
7) when he goes to home minister's son office to request to accept his crime in public.
and many more scenes.
Direction and techies...are very good. Mahesh Manjrekar has made a true story with full of heart and he must be appreciated. The movie has no song at all and no matter how the strong you like the songs in movie, you will never complain with this one. Camera is good.
Final Verdict: What more I can say than this that while writing this review I felt every feelings of this movie and my throat was chocked and eyes a bit warm.Viruddh ..i may count it among the best movies of Amitabh Bachchan and a nice experience. The movie has happy ending and even the escapist will find this movie compelling . It's a story told with simplicity still with great art that every one will find it more near to him or her instead of being a movie.
Viruddh is not like any other family movies and is quite different from Baghbaan and Waqt.
With true heart I ask all of you to watch this movie. It deserves full marks.
