Release date: 17 May 2013
E24telugu.com Rating : 3/5
Producer : Aditya Chopra
Director : Atul Sabharwal
Music Director : Amartya Rahut, Vipin Mishra
Starring: Arjun Kapoor, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Sashaa Agha
The YashRaj Films (YRF) production house churns out movies with clockwork precision every year and some of them always ends up to be very interesting. Their latest offering for this year has them cast their latest blue eyed boy Arjun Kapoor backed by long list of senior actors in the crime thriller ‘Aurangzeb’. Directed by Atul Sabarwal, Aurangzeb also marks the debut of yesteryear Pakistani actress Salma Aagah’s daughter Saasha Aagah. The trailers have generated quite a hype about the film that finally released today. So let’s sit back to see how it is.
Story:
DCP Ravikant (Rishi Kapoor) belongs to a family of powerful police officers who are based out Gurgaon which is a suburb of Delhi. Though he projects an image of an honest officer, he earns his share of black money through extortions. Ravikanth wants to bring down a powerful gangster family of Gurgaon that is headed by Yashvardhan (Jackie Shroff).
Yashvardhan’s son, Ajay (Arjun Kapoor), is a spoilt brat who hates his father and misuses his property. During a special visit to the hill-station of Nainital, Ravikanth finds that Ajay has a lookalike named Vishal. He takes advantage of this coincidence by meticulously planning Ajay’s kidnap post which he plants Vishal in Ajay’s place.
Vishal then starts demolishing Yashvardhan’s vast empire by passing on information to the police. In a sudden twist, Vishal comes to know that Yashvardhan is really his father and how Ravikanth has pitted him against his own dad. The rest of Aurangzeb is about how Vishal manages to deal with this reality and saves his father from the evil designs of Ravikanth.
Plus Points:
Though the story of Aurangzeb seems similar to the good old double role films of Bollywood, what differentiates it is the way it has been narrated which is stupendous. The film is set in present day Gurgaon and showcases the cash-rich real estate agents who are ruling the roost in that area. Aurangzeb is filled with a good starcast who delivers knockout performances by playing their roles really well.
Rishi Kapoor once again plays the bad guy (after Agneepath) and gives out a marvelous performance. With each film, Rishi Kapoor is evolving extremely well as a character actor and steals the show even in Aurangzeb. Arjun Kapoor surely has the talent to take him a long way ahead and he takes his performance a notch higher after Ishaqzaade. He handles the double roles extremely well and is quite good for an actor who is just two films old.
Malayam star Prithviraj gets a critical anchoring role and carries the whole film on his shoulders. He looks apt in his role as a police officer and steals the limelight in the second half. Saasha Aagah looks glamorous and makes a decent debut.
Minus Points:
As mentioned earlier, the script is tried and tested formula that we have seen in many films. Amrita Singh is wasted in a small role and so is Anupam Kher. The movie feels a bit lengthy and many scenes could have been easily omitted. Some of the scenes lack justification and the movie gets confusing at times. Once the suspense is revealed, then the whole plot becomes predictable.
Technical Aspects:
Aurangzeb has some good technical elements. The screenplay is the major highlight and the way the scenes have been incorporated and developed is exceptional. The movie has only a few songs which are just about OK. The dialogues are apt and showcase the Delhi accent particularly well. The editing is crisp and the camera work is very good. The way Gurgaon and its entire real estate is showcased merits a special mention.
Final Word:
On the whole, director Atul Sabarwal manages to get some superlative performances from his cast. He sets his film against an interesting backdrop and manages to make it gripping. The twists and turns and some edge of the seat moments make this film interesting. On the flip side, it also reminds you of the good old double role films based on mistaken identity. Finally, Aurangzeb can be watched for its interesting backdrop and some thrilling moments.
