'lath path agneepath'

Very rarely does a movie move me enough to sit down and write a review. This is one of those times!

I had been getting mixed reviews for Agneepath, but i had to watch it for myself. Being a loyal Hrithik fan, (who  once in her tender ages, wished she was Hrithik's neighbor instead of his now wife!) you know you owe it to the man to watch his film in a theatre. If nothing else, he promises to get you salivating at least once in the film!

Agneepath was so much more than that! A remake of a very powerful and successful Hindi film it had to be well cast to bring about a similar arousal of feelings that the erstwhile 'angry young man' brought up, more than 20 years ago. And it had Hrithik Roshan. And Priyanka Chopra. And a lot of times, both in the same frame. A lot of times i had  trouble deciding who to concentrate on. But then my loyalties overpowered me, like i knew they would. I feel bad for not being able to give Miss Chopra enough attention in several scenes. Was too damn difficult to take my eyes off Hrithik, and just so that you know this is not my bias speaking - he was in a white shirt and blue jeans for most parts of the movie.
Since Hrithik's is a long discussion i shall talk about his 'lady love' in the  film, first! Like a friend rightly pointed out it it is simply amazing how the woman slips into the shoes of any character! and with elan. From an uppity, arrogant bosses' wife demanding sex from an employee, to a Marathi chawl chik, ironically called Kali, she carries off almost every role with equal class and expression! Though she had a brief role in helping the 'roshan' star of the movie achieve his vengeance, she did it beautifully well. The emotions of joy, heartbreak all came across equally well. As a bonus for most part of the film you get to see her in a saree!

And since we are speaking of emotions i have to bring up our very own Katrina Kaif. Though in that one track, she did try to emote (especially in moments where she aank maro-s toward Hrithik) whatever little she could, she should not really worry about her facial expressions. Her body does most of the talking for her! And dude it speaks well! ;) She almost managed to look 2-dimensional in the song!! After a very long time, i think after Shilpa Shetty, she is the only one who sports a figure like that! Again like another friend rightfully pointed out - exactly the kind of body you need for a saree! the right amount of length at the waist; enough place for the drapes to fall and lure you into Lalaland! Thank God, her and Piggy Chops were not pitched in the same frame! They would have redefined the 'Battle of Sexes' ;)

Kancha Cheena aka Sanjay Dutt played his part well too. And though he did look like Voldemort's long lost brother in places (like the picture that is doing its rounds on FB claims), kudos to him for pulling off that look of hatred and actually getting people to detest his character! And the body he's made...No, it doesn't attract, it scares, just as intended!
And then theres Hrithik! Coming to the 'man of the moment', its been a while since i've seen him in such a powerful role and being a true blue fan i was a lill disappointed seeing him in ZNMD, Kites and the likes. True he, redefined Greek Gods, but that was it! Again being a loyal fan, i had a little more expectation. And boy, o boi, did he meet those! Though many (and most of them fall into jealous boyfriends and ex-boyfriends category) claim that he looks somewhat non-humanly (God save me, i was about to write inhumanly!) with his muscles and the rest of the body, but Kudos to a man for having put in that effort to transform himself from a stammering, lanky young man, to that what we see on screen today! Respect him totally, for the hard work he's put in! And then there were scenes from Agneepath. Hrithik, in a white shirt and blue jeans, on a Bullet. You just couldn't go wrong with that! I was actually salivating. Then, there's Hrithik, in a flaming red, raw silk, pathani suit. Red tika on his forehead, facing a magnanimous idol of Lord Ganesha. Engrossed in the aarti! A couple of scenes later - Hrithik, in that same flaming red raw silk Pathani, angry! Red aabir, smeared across his face! I felt my gut falling suddenly, into unknown depths, with that scene. You have to be a woman, to know what 'aabir' on a man's face does to organs like your stomach and heart, and salivary glands to say the least!!

Now that am sufficiently done drooling over the man, i shall concentrate on several aspects of the film. Liked the way the film was shot. To cite an instance, the way 'Mandwa' (the village near Bum-bay, where Vijay originates from, his father gets killed and later Kaancha Cheena takes over) looks so different after Kancha takes over. Reminded me of the way the world looked in Matrix after the Machines had taken over. The same blueish, dark, impending-evil hues. Pulled off the feel well. Then there's another scene where you see a humongous statue of Ganesh, and there is a curtain of 'aabir' that falls infront of it, while at its foot, small ant-like creatures are busy with the arati. Several other shots too have stayed with me! Visually they did a good job.
Also, you have to give the movie, its due credit for having made an extremely powerful piece of cinema. When Deenanath Chauhan is dragged to his deathm you feel it! When Shiksha (the sister), comes to meet Vijay for the first time, you feel it. When Kali (Piggy Chops!! hehhe) hugs Vijay when she gets to know that inspite of his vow not to marry, he still kept his wedding fund, it reaches out to you! each time Vijay gets hit, you feel the blow. Several times in the course of the movie i got goosebumps. Now that rarely happens! When Hrithik repeats the dialogues "Poora naam : Vijay Deenanath Chauhan; Baap ka naam: Deenanath Chauhan; Gaon: Mandwa", you do not compare him to Big B. You just watch mesmarized! In the end when he gathers every ounce of power left in his bruised, battered body to pick up the mammoth Kaancha Cheena ( Hrithik actually lifts Sanjay Dutt!), and shouts 'lath path Agneepath' you still do not compare him to Amitabh Bachchan. You hold your breath instead. That's the place, the once lanky fellow has created for himself!

In making the movie as powerful as it was the storyline of vengenace, (which, for that matter was seen on screen after a long time) and the music did an equally good job. As a friend rightfully pointed out choosing a Maharastrian group to do the music was a good idea. Brought the localite Mumbai feel to the movie. Not that Rahman, would have been a bad choice, but that Mumbai duo did a splendid job in adding to the power and feel of the film! Even 'Gun-gun-Guna na', made me feel like dancing when watching it. That i was watching it in Menoka, helped! :P (In a very emotional sequence, where after 15 years, Vijay's mother asks him to come home to have dinner, a guy somewhere shouts 'yehi hai Maa ka pyaar'...I could not help but clap! LOL..can only happen in the City of Joy!).
For a while after the movie( till i sat down to key this down) i kept feeling restless and heady. Net net, money well spent.
I shall have a good night's sleep today, with 'the man' all over my dreams. Nite people!