Ritu's Reviews

Now you know there was no way I was going to let Ram Gopal Varma’s AAG slip from my radar. Whether you were ready to bash it or embrace it, if you’re a Bollywood buff, you were waiting to set fire to this one in one way or the other. RGV calls it a “tribute” to Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay, but it was a much opposed and forced tribute. The relentless director, let no one stand in the way of his imagination and thrust the remake of this classic in viewers faces. Check out today’s review to find out if it was a shameful or grateful tribute.

It’s as if Sholay sat in a time machine and came to life in Modern day India; but on its journey lost translation of key elements. Ram Gopal Varma’s AAG, gives Sholay an extreme make-over. But the results of this makeover weren’t as good as the results of Ashlee Simpson’s rhinoplasty. In fact it turned Ramesh Sippy’s masterstroke in to a master-joke! The facelift Varma wanted to give with his ultra suave cinematic style and imaginative form doesn’t connect with new or old-age viewers.
Writers Sajid-Farhad are no Salim-Javed. They’ve retained some of the pertinent dialogues and scenarios from the original but haven’t added much zest. If anything they’ve killed whatever there was. The misplaced inclusion of references to Al-Qaeda, Osama, and America throw things off track.
Ram Gopal Varma further sabotages any tang with his twisted execution. Reliant on technical uniqueness, Varma’s production team shoot new angles, play with lighting, and try to scout unseen locations that give the film an emblematic identity. With the exception of Rangeela, RGV’s films have been dark and dreary. And in this case, where the original Sholay was full of life and entertainment, his colorless palette of hues doesn’t help brighten the dark fate.
RGV must have been threatened by “Soja, warna Gabbar aa jaayega” as a child because it’s clearly a character he seems petrified of and who’s left the strongest imprint in his imagination. More than a tribute to Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay or the friendship of Jai and Veeru, this film is all about the villain. Bagging Mr. Bachchan for the role was probably Varma’s greatest feat in this project. Support from one of the original actors generated curiosity and encouraged audiences to have some faith in the remake. From Gabbar to Babban, Amitabh essays a character that requires him to make you shudder at the mere mention of his name. Standing on the other side of the fence, Amitabh delivers with great effort. He tries to get in to the extremes of his character and performs proficiently but not without flaw. Unfortunately his character has been sketched with too many idiosyncrasies that in his solemn effort to live up to them, he loses momentum. However he is the solo reason the film has a slight chance to appease audiences.
As for others, there is no chemistry among the characters. That sensation when the eyes of Amitabh and Jaya first met, the playful interaction between Dharmendra and Hema Malani, and the bond between Amitabh and Dharmendra from the original Sholay are all missing.
On individual fronts, Ajay Devgan and the role of Dharm ji’s Veeru, fail to compliment one another. Sushmita Sen enacts her character with proper reserve and makes strides as a competent actress. Where as dream girl Hema Malini’s character was bubbly, slightly ditsy, but endearing and adorable, Nisha Kothari is just annoying. Her workout’s definitely paid off, as the camera seems to love zooming in on her ‘ass’ets, but had she put in half as much effort in her performance as she did in her appearance, she would’ve attracted positive attention. Stepping in to hot water, not only playing Amitabh, but also facing Amitabh is newcomer Prashant Raj. He shocks with his ability to carry off the role. Mohanlal suitably plays the role of Sanjeev Kumar.
The original Sholay had a number of moments that offered situational humor. In RGV’s AAG, Rajpal Yadav has been placed to substitute those numerous instances and he predictably falls short. In place of Helen, Urmila’s shimmy number is the peak of excitement.
Why was Sholay a blockbuster? Because it offered the right dose of it all! Action, drama, romance, comedy, music, thrills, acting, dialogues, legendary stars – the whole gamut! In addition to all that, it’s about being at the right time and place for things to work. When Sholay had released it was about the time and place Hindi cinema was in; where that type of setting, script, and theme worked. Since then, cinema has changed. And Ram Gopal Varma tried to adjust accordingly for that change. But a replica could never offer the value of the authentic creation, hence old is gold. It was best to not have experimented with Sholay as this colorless rendition of Sholay is not a tribute anyone associated with the original would appreciate. RGV Ki AAG, greatly chagrins with 1 ½ stars.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. Ram Gopal Varma is a director who makes films for himself. He doesn’t fear box-office results, critics, or even public opinion. He makes what he believes. While his conviction is commendable, his obstinate take on a classic isn’t. This might just be a film, only he’ll be watching.