The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : An insincere tribute to evergreen ‘Sholay’ Film Review

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Saturday, Sep 01, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

An insincere tribute to evergreen ‘Sholay’ Film Review

Faking Gabbar: Amitabh Bachchan as Babban

Film: Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgan, Mohan Lal, Nisha Kothari

Director: Ram Gopal Varma

The most intrepid venture in recent times turns out to be the most reckless too. Said to be a tribute to G.P. Sippy’s “Sholay”, it is actually nothing more than an ordinary, real ordinary parody, the kind kids indulge in when the teacher fails to turn up for a class in school. Ram Gopal Varma’s “Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag” – a first of sorts in the annals of Hindi cinema where the director’s name is part of the title – is l ikely to end up as one of the biggest mistakes of the seasoned filmmaker’s career. It is slipshod, even deceitful as the director falls between the two stools: does he actually want to replay the glory of the original and base his film in the 1970s? Or does he want to give a contemporary touch, make a film that would appeal to multiplex-hopping Gen Next?

Apparently, he was not sure. So we get those formula shots of the ravines with Mohan Lal doing a poor copy of Sanjeev Kumar’s role. And also those sensuous takes on Nisha Kothari’s curls and curves in tiniest minis.

Throw in Ajay Devgan and Prashant ‘who’ Raj as Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan, and you know the cup of disaster is almost full to the brim. It just flows over once you have Nisha ‘obnoxious’ Kothari stepping into the niche of Hema Malini’s widely popular Basanti. Each of these stars is a misfit and appears consistently disinterested in the role.

However, the worst comes from unexpected quarters: Amitabh Bachchan, after serenading grey for years, goes completely black with Gabbar, oops, Babban.

Varma’s idea of making him looking menacing is to have a cut across his nose bridge! His idea of having a villain rooted in the hinterlands is to have the guy dig his nose! Babban’s looks vary from the menacing to the ordinary to the ridiculous. Bachchan compounds the agony with one of the most ordinary portrayals of his illustrious careers. He never evokes fear, he never commands respect either.

The reason the late Amjad Khan clicked as Gabbar was he appeared as Gabbar, not Amjad. Here, despite the tag of ‘introducing Amitabh Bachchan’ Big B appears as just Big B in another role, never Babban.

Saving grace? Urmila Matondkar, quite lithe and sensuous in her take on Helen, and Sushmita Sen, predictably bearable as Durga, Varma’s take on Jaya Bhaduri’s role.

Will save dear readers a reiteration of the timeless story of “Sholay” reproduced here with minor alterations. Suffice to say, RGV’s “Aag” is a pale imitation of an evergreen film. Go for the original. The copy fails to pass muster.

ZIYA US SALAM

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