Dhadkan
The good ol’ 60s revisited
VENUS Records and Tapes’ Dhadkan, directed by Dharmesh Darshan, has a nostalgic feel to it, what with the effect of watching social drama from the good ol’ 60s. The director has taken a big gamble of casting two action heroes in roles which have totally different shades and how far this will pay off in the end will depend on its acceptance at the b-o. The film is fairly interesting in the first half, with its slick screenplay, But the director does seem to lose his grip towards the end, as the film climaxes rather tamely. It seems as if he developed cold feet as far as justifying the grey role of Sunil Shetty is concerned, and ends up portraying him on a positive note.

Anjali (Shilpa Shetty) and Dev (Sunil Shetty) are madly in love. But Anjali’s father disapproves of her marriage plans. Instead, they fix her marriage with a Delhi-based businessman Ram (Akshay Kumar). Anjali reels under the emotional pressure of her parents and gets married to Ram. The penniless and jilted lover, Dev, swears to win back Anjali at any cost. In Delhi, the story takes a new turn. The in-laws don’t treat Anjali well and she comes to know of their ulterior motives to usurp Ram’s business. She resolves to love Ram more, even to forget her none-too-happy past.

After three years of mariage, her past however catches up with her. Dev has become a millionaire with business connections in UK. His mad obsession for Anjali sends danger signals to their happy married life. Once again, he proposes to Anjali. But she spurns his offer and beg him to forget her. An infuriated Dev decides to rock Ram’s business empire. In connivance with Anjali’s in-laws, Dev manages to throw Ram out of business. Ram and Anjali take the setback in their stride. When Dev discovers that Anjali is pregnant, he decides to settle for his business partner Sheetal (Mahima Chowdhury).

Performance-wise, Sunil Shetty scores over the rest. His character has some negative shades but the director fails to justify it in the end. However, for a change it is heartening to see an action hero doing an emotional role with so much ease. Shilpa gets the best role of her career and doesn’t disappoint. Akshay Kumar, in the role of the cool-headed husband, is impressive. Mahima is wasted in a small role, despite which she manages to come up with a convincing performance. Kiran Kumar, Kader Khan, Sushma Seth and Paramjeet Sethi lends adequate support.

Director Dharmesh Darshan is in full command in the first half, though storyline doesn’t give him much scope towards the end. An interesting twist in the climax would have made a lot of difference. But he has managed to extract the best out of his artistes. Nadeem-Shravan’s music is the very lifeline of the film, and all the tracks are melodious and situational. Cinematography by WB Rao is outstanding.

Padmaraj Nair

Deewane
Made for compulsive viewing
OLD wine in a new bottle, that’s what this film is. And this time, it’s the bottle that makes the difference and manages to catch the eye. The story of Deewane is an oft-repeated one, but the treatment makes the film stand out.

Vishal, a super cop, is totally committed to his profession and in his passion to track down criminals often sidelines his family, and Sapna, his childhood sweetheart. The town shudders at the mention of his name and he gives a real hard time to the criminals. Sapna, a bubbly girl, takes life as it comes. Vishal and she are to be engaged but not before Vishal leaves for Shimla on an assignment.

In the hotel, where he is staying he spots Arun, a small time thief, who looks like him. Arun is jailed for the theft he has committed. Vishal returns and informs his chief about his lookalike. While he is with the chief, he is shot at by his enemies and it is learnt that he has been killed. Now it is time for the criminals to rejoice and they go berserk painting the town red with violence. But Vishal slips into a coma in the hospital. The chief senses danger and decides to train Arun and present him in place of Vishal. Thief Arun takes charge as the super cop and again the criminals are back to square one. But now Arun is in a dilemma as he has fallen in love with Sapna who thinks he is Vishal. And when Vishal recovers and returns home, Sapna, on learning the truth, begins to hate Arun. But slowly she realises that Arun is her true love. And how the two sacrifice their love for each other for the sake of their families and whether they succeed in their mission is worth a watch.

Performance-wise, Ajay Devgan is good as the silent lover Arun, especially in the scenes when he encounters Sapna after she learns the truth. There are times when even the audience is confused as to whether it is Arun or Vishal they’re watching on screen. Urmila is her usual self while Mahima Chowdhury, who loves Arun, is good. She seems to have made a habit of appearing in wee bit roles. This is her second such release this week, with Dhadkan hitting the theatres as well. Johnny Lever, as Okay, tries to bring laughter but in vain.
Producer Paramjeet Baweja has spared no effort in the film’s making, as is obvious from the lavishly-mounted sets and the breathtaking glimpses of Australia and New Zealand, that have been captured brilliantly by cinematographer Yogesh Jani. Special effects, especially when the two Ajays meet, are commendably done. This is Sanjeev-Darshan’s second attempt at music direction after Mann and they have done a pretty decent job. Songs like Qayamat qayamat and Churao na dil should hit the charts with their sensuous music and choreography by Saroj Khan and Raju Khan.

The film, directed by Harry Baweja is not without its faults, But these can be overlooked, as Deewane can be enjoyed with no qualms at all. You won’t regret watching this one.

Namita Nivass