Friday 5 February 2016

Ghayal Once Again :: Movie Review


Ghayal Once Again written & directed by Sunny Deol which is the sequel to 1990 blockbuster Ghayal lags far behind to its prequel in terms of storytelling and execution making it a drab affair which fails to leave the desired impact. There is a scene in Ghayal Once again in which the Firang bodyguards of the antagonist tell Sunny Deol to drop his weapon and be ready to die in a fist fight. We, sitting in the audience could sense what is going to come their way and take pity on those firangs. Probably, it's not their fault as those firangs might not have seen Damini or else they would have known about Sunny's dhai kilo ka haath or for that matter Gadar in which Sunny Bhaji uprooted a hand pump with his bare hands. So, no prizes for guessing what happens to those firang bodyguards afterwards. Obviously, they are beaten black & blue to the pulp. This scene very much sums up the essence of Ghayal Once Again where our Superhero is out on streets to fight against the corrupt. What the film lacks is originality as we have seen umpteen movies revolving around the same premise. It's been 26 years since Ghayal hit theaters and times have changed since than. So, it comes as a shocker right at the beginning of the film when you come to know that a rape victim has committed suicide because the victim feels that she will be ostracized and the incident will affect her family especially the future of her sisters. Undoubtedly, being a rape victim puts you in a hapless state but when a media intern working in a leading publishing house commits suicide after being raped by her boss, it reeks of shoddy writing. I mean, aren't we living in 2016 where girls are fighting for their equal rights even when it comes to visiting those sacred shrines where their entry is prohibited. So, watching a young educated girl ending her life just for the fear of being ostracised puts you off right at the beginning of the movie. And, these glitches while stitching the screenplay continue to stare at your face right throughout the movie. You see a business magnate controlling the official machinery sitting well within confines of his home. He is aided by his tech savvy staff who not only hack into other computer systems including a Government portal but also track down their targets with the help of their sim cards. It is the shoddy screenplay that fails to elevate the stature of Ghayal Once Again beyond the realms of an average action drama. 

The story of the movie has been penned down by three writers namely Sunny Deol, Shaktimaan and Sagar Pandya. I personally feel it takes special kind of talent to come up with such a kind of story-line especially when three people are involved in writing it down. Literally, they have turned the movie's protagonist unto a Superhero with special powers. Else, how would you explain a man lying down beneath running vehicles and coming out scratch-less or him hopping on to one running train from another. He also ably gatecrashes a helicopter right into the high-rise abode of his adversary. In the movie, Sunny Deol is not less than any Superhero, the only difference being that he doesn't wear a cape or Superhero costume. The film begins by telling us that Ajay Mehra (Sunny Deol) who was behind bars for killing Balwant Rai and his men in 1990 is a free man now. He has come out of the trauma of his troubled past with the help of doctor (Soha Ali Khan) and has started a news-channel by the name of Satyakam. He is an upright journalist who along with his team is out to weed out corruption and injustice. ACP Joe (Om Puri) who once caught Ajay has also retired from Police force, is an RTI activist and is in touch with Ajay.  Raj Bansal (Narendra Jha) is a business magnate of Mumbai whose son Kabir is a arrogant druggie. Joe has filed RTI application against some malpractices adopted by Bansal's company while procuring some land. During a meeting, Joe is shot dead by Kabir in a fit of rage. This incident is captured on camera by four college going youngsters namely Zoya (Daina Khan), Varun (Rishabh Arora), Anushka (Aanchal Munjal) and Rohan (Shivam Patil). The youngsters decide to hand over this evidence to Ajay Mehra unaware of the danger lurking at them. Will Ajay be able to save these four youngsters and avenge the death of Joe is what forms the rest of the story. 

Sunny Deol as Ajay Mehra is at his best when it comes to action sequences. Sunny packs quite a punch in his angry avatar with his eyes growing wide but he is a let down in emotional sequences. It is a treat watching him tear apart his opponents in some of the well captured action scenes. 

Soha Ali Khan shines and makes her presence felt with her subtle yet powerful act in the movie. 

Narendra Jha has played the role of antagonist to the TEE in the film. He has ably portrayed a character who is in a dilemma as despite of knowing that his son is wrong, he goes all out to defend and save him. 

Tisca Chopra once again manages to leave a lasting impression with her impeccable act in the movie. 

As newbies, Daina Khan, Rishabh Arora, Aanchal Munjal and Shivam Patil have given descent performances and have portrayed their respective characters with conviction. 

Amongst ensemble starcast, noticeable performances have been delivered by Om Puri, Manoj Joshi, Zakir Hussain, Sachin Khedekar and Neena Kulkarni. 

Ghayal Once Again comes nowhere close if compared to its prequel Ghayal. A disjointed story-line and a scratchy screenplay which is a blend of contemporary with the modern, never lets the movie rise above a  tame affair.       
 
ROHIT SHARMA. 
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