Aakrosh Movie Review: A Taut, Tense Thriller

Posted by admin on Oct 16th, 2010 | 1 comment

Priydarshan has decided to go back to the movies that gave him recognition in the first place, like the national award winner Kanjivaram, Gardish and Virasaat. After a spate of no brainer comedies like Hera Pheri, Hungama and more recently Khatta Meetha, he has come back to serious, ‘food for the brain’ type movies in the form of Aakrosh.

After watching the fantastic Aakrosh, one is sure that Priyadarshan is better at realistic fare than he is at comedy (which is not bad either!). He should make more of such serious cinema because he deals with these topics very well, as evident in his past films.

Story of Aakrosh:
Akshaye Khanna and Ajay Devgn are two CBI officers investigating the disappearance of three medical students who go amiss following a visit to the town of Jhanjhar, Bihar. This happens during the month of Diwali. Two months have passed, and no one from either the police or the CBI is able to explain about the missing students. So the duo, Siddanth (Akshaye) and Pratap (Ajay Devgn) decide to take charge of the case. But then the road to solving the case is ridden with obstacles. The townsfolk do not cooperate because they are under the fear of the narrow minded Shool Sena and local politicians, the law and order system is impotent and most matters are brushed under the carpet. The missing case of three boys, as the duo come to know, is linked with a love affair that does not work out, due to the near-impossible caste barriers that govern the life in this town. The movie unravels the silent, brutality and the cover-ups behind honor killers in a thrilling manner.

What works for Aakrosh:

Priyadarshan’s direction: This one just cements the factor that Priyadarshan is the most versatile director of them all. He can be as good in this one as he was in Hera Pheri. In this movie, Priyadarshan holds the narrative tight and does not let the story deviate from its plot
The brilliant performances of Ajay Devgn and Akshay Khanna: Both complement each other very well. While Ajay Devgn plays an officer who is hot-headed and likes to rain some punches before eliciting the truth, Akshaye Khanna is into mind-games with the suspect. Paresh Rawal in a negative character definitely makes a huge impression in the film and comes up with a memorable performance.
The interesting premise of the film, the honor killings, is sure to get accolades.
Unlike many thrillers which lose their steam towards the end or start dragging, Aakrosh has its bearings tight, right till the end. A performance oriented film, with thrills and a good plot, what more do you need!
The cinematography of the film is brilliant and S Tinu has been able to capture the sights and feel of rural Bihar with absolute perfection.

What does not work for Aakrosh:

The action scenes though entertaining does not fit in well for this type of movie. You can show the actor leaping from one rooftop to the other, in a movie like Dabangg but definitely not in a realistic movie like Aakosh.
The songs are bit of an irritation, slowing down the pace of the film

Performances in Aakrosh:

Priyadarshan makes the two men, Ajay Devgn and Akshaye Khanne come with their best performances. Both are brilliant and it is hard to judge who is better. As for Ajay, he has been probably having the best year so far, and Aakrosh is definitely up there, when it comes to his performance. Akshaye Khanna (can we have more of him, please!) is very refined with his performance, and comes up with a top-notch performance as well. Bipasha Basu does not have much to do in the film, so she does her bit sincerely. Though the two guys are impressive, you just cannot keep your attention off Paresh Rawal, who gets a negative role after so many years. As a corrupt cop, he makes his presence, one of the biggest reasons to watch Aakrosh.

In conclusion: Go get your thrills, guys. Aakrosh is fantastic

Rating:****(Very Good)