Agneepath

Agneepath makes its way back to us, repacked. But is it the same story? I watched the movie pretty late, so I was aware that it is not the same story. There have been changes, some good, some bad.

The movie is a fresh take on the story of Vijaynath Chauhan (or is it Chavan?). The basic premise - Vijay, having seen his father hanged, vows revenge against Kancha Cheena and becomes a gangster to achieve his goal, alienating his family in the process - is the same, but director Karan Malhotra has made some changes. Gone are Krishnan Iyer and Mary Matthew, in come Rauf Lala and Kali. Though, Kaali is more of a replacement for Mary Mathew.

At various points, the movies tips its hat at its predecessor, like how Master Dinanath Chauhan is murdered, Vijay going for his sister, Vijay warning Gaitonde and many more, but again, the take on them is purely his own.

The story begins in Mandwa, the village by the sea where the good teacher is bringing about a change in his village, and then moves to the big bad Mumbai after his murder. The transistion of the village brat Vijay into the criminal Vijay is believeable since the kid himself shows so much anger to begin with. Him finally turning bad (but good from within) is credible. The characterisation, though is not all perfect the fiesty kid becoming a brooding grownup is not understandable. Also not understandable is whether he is actually bad. He works for a gangster, but himself lives in a chawl and runs a charitable trust in the name of his sister, providing ambulance services. A killer who provides ambulance services. I would think twice before hiring him as a killer.

Kali is a childhood friend who understands his pain. Thats just the brief for her character, to provide some relief from the brooding. But then again, in thebegining, of the film, Vijay meets her in what looks like a red-light area, but the grown up kali lives in a chawl and though she hasn't moved house, its is not longer a red-light area.

The mother and the sister are just points of reference for Vijay's story and do not serve up much of a conflict in his life. The mother has taken a very principled stand against hte son and refuses to meet him, while the sister doesn't know that he exists.

Inspector Gaitonde, sadly is even more unidimensional than the original, and thats saying a lot. He is a tough guy with a heart of gold, but at certain places comes across as a Vijay sympathizer, which is not law-abiding at all. In the original, the inspector cared for Vijay, but that did not stop him from calling him a crook.

Kancha Cheena is now Kancha, a psychotic killer who quotes Gita while killing, hanging being his choice of execution. Other than that, we don't know much about him. He runs a drug cartel just outside Mumbai, but does not throw any lavish parties or spend money on the good life. So why is he still hell-bent on ruling Mumbai, if not for the money? does not add up at all.

Finally, there is Rauf Lala, a new addition, and by far the best character in the movies. Rishi Kapoor completely subverts his loverboy image for this one, and comes across as darkest of the lot here. Unlike Kancha, he is not a psycho. He is a businessman, who trades in drugs and women, with a coldness and aloofness. But at the same time, he is also a family man, who dotes on his sons.

Hritik gives his Vijay a brooding demeanor. He is a man of few words, who has learnt to internalize his emotions unlike his childhood. The viewer does not know what goes on in his mind. The emotional turmoil of a man who witnessed his father's murder and then his family's estrangement remains hidden.

The film has good action sequences, but they are very few.