RE: Aag (Sholay) - 2007 (31. August) - 2

Review: RGV Ki Aag turns out to be RGV ka daag - IBNLive

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgan, Sushmita Sen

Direction: Ramgopal Varma

Writing out a review for Ramgopal Varma Ki Aag amounts to dignifying this third-rate film with a studied observation on its plot, its characters and its treatment. And believe me, that's more thought and effort than the film's director has put into it.

I can't come up with appropriate enough words to describe the horror I felt sitting in that cinema watching Ramgopal Varma Ki Aag, the director's half-hearted attempt to pay tribute to that classic Bollywood western, Sholay.

The biggest problem with Varma's remake is that he doesn't even try to make a credible film. It's evident in every single frame of this movie that Varma's heart is just not in it.

What you see on screen is a bad joke at best, a gimmick on the part of the filmmaker, and it pains you to see what little regard he actually shows for a film he claims he's been a fan of all his life.

In my job as a film critic I've seen several bad films over the years, but I can't remember one that's been as much of a torture to sit through as this one. Consider yourself very brave if you're able to survive the entire film, because it tests your patience like few films have before.

Varma may borrow his plot and characters from the original film, but his version is trite and hollow and doesn't have any of the spirit and energy of Sholay.

Ramgopal Varma Ki Aag is actually a mockery of that timeless gem because it turns out to be everything that the original film was not - way-over-the-top, too-long-too-boring, and entirely mindless.

Much-loved moments from Sholay are parodied by Varma and for that you want to wring his neck. One of the most memorable scenes in Sholay in which Dharmendra as Veeru climbs up the watertank and threatens to jump down to his death is turned around in this film with Ajay Devgan playing Hero, pulling a pistol to his head threatening to shoot himself. How you wish he'd pulled the trigger and spared us all the agony.

Not only does Ramgopal Varma Ki Aag fail as a remake of Sholay, it's a pretty bad effort even as a stand-alone film.

The eardrum-damaging background score sounds more like someone clanging vessels in the kitchen, and the camerawork alternates between dramatic and head-spinning.

Partners in this terrible crime of bringing this ridiculous film to screen are the film's mostly dead-as-wood actors.

Sushmita Sen as Devi the widow takes both her role and the film too seriously, punctuating her lines with pauses, staring into camera for effect, and generally performing like her life depends upon it.

Mohanlal as Narsimha, struggles with his Hindi dialogue and looks embarrassed to be delivering some of the stupidest lines in his illustrious career.

Newcomer Prashant Raj playing Jai-equivalent Raj has no acting chops to speak of and can't strum up any of the brooding intensity Amitabh Bachchan brought to the part in the original film.

As Hero, the new-age Veeru, Ajay Devgan is entirely hopeless, failing miserably in his attempts at comedy.

But the film's weakest link, easily the most shocking casting decision is Nisha Kothari as Ghunghroo, who steps into the shoes of Hema Malini the endearing airhead from Sholay. Nisha Kothari is not only the worst actress in this country, but possibly the worst actress in this whole wide world, she gives the word annoying a whole new meaning, and she makes you want to slit your wrists every time she's on screen.

And then, there is Amitabh Bachchan playing Babban Singh, Ramgopal Varma's version of Hindi cinema's most popular villain Gabbar Singh. The only actor in this ensemble who recognises the film's over-the-top tone and plays along accordingly, Bachchan constructs a menacing character who is a treat to watch. He's meant to be a comic book villain who snarls and sneers and hisses and hams, and he does all of that to good effect.

But because he's trapped in such a doomed enterprise, his performance doesn't really help elevate the film in any way.

No surprises here, I'm going with zero out of five and two thumbs down for Ramgopal Varma Ki Aag, it one's of those painful movie-watching experiences you wouldn't subject even an enemy to.

It's not like Varma hasn't handled a remake before. With Sarkar he gave us a smart, gripping take on The Godfather, and it's a pity he's made this Sholay bhature out of such a much-loved classic.

Ramgopal Varma Ki Aag is his worst career decision ever, it's also a dark spot on his resume he'll be embarrassed of forever. I suspect this film will go down in movie history as Ramgopal Varma Ka Daag.

Rating: 0 / 5 (Such Trash!) -------------------------> Oh Gott!



Quelle: http://www.ibnlive.com/news/review-rgv-k...ag/47834-8.html

Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag: Review - Apunkachoice

Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag doesn’t come anywhere close to the real thing, Ramesh Sippy ’s Sholay .

Unlike the original film, ‘RGV Ki Aag’ has nothing that leaves a lasting impression on a viewer. The movie is a mere assorted collection of Varma’s own interpretation of scenes from the original. There is no cohesive linear flow in the story. The dialogues, with frequent references to America, Iraq and Al Qaeda, are horribly amateurish. Nowhere close to the mastery of Salim and Javed in the original.

Varma was seemingly very obsessed with the idea of remaking ‘Sholay’. But he did not realize the mammoth task of recreating the same magic. And in his blind zeal and obsession, Varma has floundered big time.

Firstly, he cast wrong actors in the roles of Heero and Raj. Ajay Devgan (as Heero) doesn’t have the flair to tickle the funny bone. And newcomer Prashant Raj (as brooding Raj) simply doesn’t know how to act. With these two pivotal roles going to inappropriate actors, the movie is already half sunk. Only Mohanlal and Sushmita Sen look convincing in their respective roles.

Ramu has given a very different interpretation to the character of Babban Singh (originally Gabbar). His Babban looks menacing, repulsive and fatigued. He is a bit psychotic with a slight caricaturish streak. And yet you don’t dread this character half as much as you did Gabbar Singh. Unlike the latter, there is not a single dialogue of Babban Singh that you would carry home with you.

‘RGV Ki Aag’ stays loyal to ‘Sholay’ as far as the basic plot of the story is concerned. Two small-time crooks, Heero (Ajay Devgan) and Raj (Prashant Raj) catch the eye of honest police inspector Narsimha (Mohanlal) because of their bravery. Later, Narsimha hires them to catch the dreaded and notorious gangster Babban Singh Amitabh Bachchan ) who killed Narsimha’s family and cut off his fingers.

Heero and Raj arrive in Kaliganj where Heero falls for the charm of a beautiful auto-rickshaw driver Ghungroo Nisha Kothari ) while Raj develops feelings for the grim widow Durga (Sushmita Sen).

As Heero and Raj begin cracking down on Babban Singh and his men, battle lines are drawn. Babban, along with his henchman Thambi Sushant Singh ), will fight to the bitter end to eliminate the two brave recruits of Narsimha.

Ram Gopal Varma gives his own twist to the story and characters of the original movie. But he does incorporate some scenes from ‘Sholay’. Like the scene when Heero threatens to commit suicide if Ghungroo’s mother does not agree to marry her with him. Or Heero teaching shooting to Ghungroo. Or Durga nursing a wounded Raj.

What Ramu fails to do is to create a right chemistry between the characters. For instance, you don’t see and feel any camaraderie between Heero and Raj. Even the muted love between Raj and Durga is bland. To cut to the chase, Ramu fails big time as a director.

The cinematography by Amit Roy is brilliant, but Amar Mohile’s background score is terrible. Even the film’s songs are just mediocre compositions and the much talked-about Mehbooba Mehbooba (with special appearance by Urmila Matondkar and Abhishek Bachchan ) is not a patch on RD Burman’s composition.

The movie could have been salvaged only through performances, but there too one meets with disappointment only. Ajay Devgan is just average. Prashant Raj can’t act. Nisha Kothari hams. Mohanlal is good and Sushmita Sen is very expressive. Amitabh Bachchan does his best to enact Ramu’s interpretation of Babban Singh.

All in all, ‘RGV Ki Aag’ is a letdown. The movie only reminds you how great and matchless the real ‘Sholay’ was and is.

Rating: * -------------------------> Oh Gott!

Quelle: http://www.apunkachoice.com/scoop/bollywood/20070831-2.html

Film Review - Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag - Behindwoods

Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgan, Mohanlal,Rajpal Yadav, Nisha Kothari, Susmita Sen, Prashant Raj.

Direction: Ram Gopal Varma

Music: Bappi Lahiri

Production: Ram Gopal Varma

Ram Gopal Varma has been under the scanner ever since he announced his intentions to remake the legendary Sholay. Though it was initially called Ram Gopal Varma Ki Sholay, RGV was forced to change the title to Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag yielding to the objections raised by the Sippys.

RGV Ki Aag may draw the audience to theatres who are curious to discover how much of the original flavor has been retained in the current one. As this is the remake of a trendsetter of the seventies, drawing parallels with the original is expected at every stage and cannot be done away with.

The back drop of Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag is the crowded alleys of Mumbai as against the original bucolic setting and has been rendered a contemporary feel. The villain Amitabh Bachchan (Babban) does not dwell in a den but in a suave bungalow and controls the underworld operations. He is so ruthless that that he loves people to challenge him as that gives him an opportunity to kill them. Nobody has dared to defy him and the one who did it was never spared. Mohanlal the encounter specialist decides to put an end to his spree of cruelty but loses everything. And the rest of the story is how Mohanlal believes in two small time crooks Prashant Raj and Ajay Devgan, and hands them over the task of finishing off Amitabh. Whether they are successful in this deadly mission or end up on the other side forms the rest of this action filled adventure.

Amitabh Bachchan who had a positive role in Sholay has crossed the bridge to the other side to play the fiery villain Babban and the veteran has totally done justice to the role and at the same time has brought out a unique individuality to the character which only a seasoned actor like him can do. The menacing eye does it all. Amjad Khan, if alive would have felt proud of Bachchan senior’s performance. The manner in which his character has been shaped reveals the extent of grueling groundwork on the part of the film maker and the artist.

Mohanlal sparkles in his role and the sequences where the two doyens of Indian cinema come together are a treat to watch. Ajay Devgan as Veeru attempts to emulate Dharmendra and succeeds to a larger extent. Debutant Prashant Raj doing Sholay Amitabh’s role is passable. Nisha Kothari as Ghungroo does not ride on horses but drives the ubiquitous auto and the lady finds it an uphill task to emote. Looks like she relies more on skin show for her stardom. On the other hand Sushmita Sen speaks with her eyes and performs well but her character has not been etched properly. Contrary to the original Jaya Bhaduri’s role, Sushmita’s approach to life is bitter and stronger in Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag.

On the technical side, cinematography by Amit Roy is good and sustains the dark mood of the film. Music by four music directors Ganesh Hegde, Amar Mohile, Prasanna Sekhar and Nitin Raikwar is just average and none of the numbers make an impact. Only the initial tracks of the great ‘Mehabooba’ are retained and Urmila Matondkar’s gyrations and body language in this number borders on vulgarity which totally divests the original flavor of this song. Action sequences by Pradyuman Kumar are well choreographed and needs special mention. Ram Gopal Varma’s direction is satisfactory in the first half but fails in the post interval session. Screenplay lacks tautness and there are logical flaws in many sequences. Varma has not tried anything new related to the progress of events in the film. All in all, an average action packed film, perhaps interesting to those who have not watched the original version.
Verdict- Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag without fire

Rating - 2/5

Quelle: http://www.behindwoods.com/bollywood/hin...aag-review.html

Movie Review Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag - IndiaFM

Let's get one thing straight! To remake a film that not only set box-office records and is referred to as a classic, but also one that by far has the biggest recall value, is playing with aag. Ramgopal Varma, the maverick film-maker, has the courage to remake SHOLAY, a film that continues to be one of the favorite entertainers across the globe.

Comparisons with SHOLAY are obvious and one presumes, RGV knew it all along that's he's bound to feel the heat by those who swear by SHOLAY. To give the credit where it's due, RGV remains faithful to the classic, not once does he deviate from the plot, not once does he twists facts… you know exactly what to expect and where the story is heading.

Jai, Veeru, Thakur, Basanti and above all Gabbar are characters that attained cult status over the years, especially Gabbar. RAMGOPAL VARMA KI AAG does justice to those characters, especially Gabbar, who wore a sinister look on his face all the while. Terror has a new name now. It's Babban!

Write your own movie review of Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag
Shortcomings? Oh yes! The romantic track, involving Ajay - Nisha Kothari, is a yawn. To be more specific, the by-now-famous 'suicide' sequence doesn't work. Prior to that, Prashant and Sushmita's meeting with Nisha's parents to seek her hand in marriage for Ajay also falls flat. Besides, this is not for the faint-hearted who detest violent films. RAMGOPAL VARMA KI AAG is sure to give them hiccups.

To cut a long story short, the comparisons with SHOLAY will tell on RAMGOPAL VARMA KI AAG.

In the dark underbelly of Mumbai city, a nihilistic new leader has risen to rule the fetid underworld. His name is Babban [Amitabh Bachchan]. Cruel beyond imagination, psychotically violent and far more devious than any gangster the city has ever known.

Nobody has ever seen him and if they did, they didn't survive to tell the tale. But one man believed in his existence. And that is Inspector Narsimha [Mohanlal], who has a single-minded determination to finish Babban.

RAMGOPAL VARMA KI AAG is SHOLAY, yet different. Sure, the story is the same, but the setting and interpretation of the story are different, very contemporary. As a storyteller, the RGV stamp is visible in a couple of sequences. Note Bachchan's spine-chilling introduction. Nisha's introductory sequence also makes you break into a chuckle. The Sachin episode that gives birth to a bitter enmity is tremendous. The sequence outside the courtroom [Bachchan - Mohanlal face off] is remarkable. Bachchan avenging his brother's death by eliminating Mohanlal's family is terrifying…

After a riveting first half, the pace suddenly slackens in the post-interval portions. Courtesy: The prem kahani. These scenes are far from exciting and only add to the length of the film. In fact, the second hour should be judiciously trimmed by at least 20/25 minutes so that the events unfold at a feverish pace.

There aren't many songs in the narrative. The song that deserves 10 on 10 is 'Mehbooba'. The track is foot-tapping and Urmila's presence sets the screen ablaze. Abhishek Bachchan's appearance in the number will be greeted with surprise and of course, whistles. The Holi track is interesting as well, more for the picturization, not as much for the tune.

Amit Roy's cinematography is outstanding. Note the scene when Bachchan plays with an apple and simply watch the movement of the camera. Awesome! Dialogues [Sajid-Farhad] are in sync with the mood of the film. Besides, the writers haven't lifted any of those legendary lines ['Kine aadmi thhe?', 'Soja, warna Gabbar aa jaayega', 'Yeh haath mujhe de-de Thakur'], but provide interesting alternatives. Action scenes [Pradhyumna] cater more to the desi audiences. Do not expect the MATRIX stunts here!

Bachchan as Babban is exemplary. The veteran has portrayed a variety of roles in his illustrious career: Vijay in ZANJEER, Vijay in DEEWAAR, Jai in SHOLAY, Anthony Gonsalves in AMAR AKBAR ANTHONY, Don/Vijay in DON, Vijay in TRISHUL, Sikandar in MUQADDAR KA SIKANDAR, Vijay Dinanath Chavan in AGNEEPATH, Baadshah Khan in KHUDA GAWAH, DCP Anant in KHAKEE, Debraj Sahai in BLACK, Sarkar in SARKAR and Eklavya in EKLAVYA. Now add Babban to this enviable list!

Mohanlal is topnotch. He matches up to Bachchan in every sequence. Ajay Devgan is competent and balances the mischievous streak with the serious one with ease. Newcomer Prashant Raj does very well. He stands up to the veterans and looks confident all through. Sushmita Sen is restrained. Her performance is perfect. Nisha Kothari does well in her introductory sequence and maintains the pace all through. Sushant Singh is first-rate. Rajpal Yadav irritates. Virendra Saxena is okay. Rasika Joshi makes her presence felt. Sanjay Narvekar, Jeeva, Raju Mavani, Ravi Kale, J.D. Chekravarthy and Suchitra Krishnamoorthi are adequate.

On the whole, RAMGOPAL VARMA KI AAG has a strong first half, but a lengthy and violent second half plays a spoilsport. At the box-office, the film will find the going tough in the wake of its comparisons with the mighty SHOLAY. Its dull opening coupled with uninspiring publicity [the posters/billboards give an impression of an outdated film] will make a dent in its prospects.

Rating: 2/5

Quelle: http://www.indiafm.com/movies/review/12653/index.html

Review Ram Gopal Varma ki.. Aargh! - Rediff

It's kinda fitting that Gabbar is now called Babban.

Because Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag, ladies and gentlemen, as its title suggests, is a B-movie. It's like one of those TLV Prasad films of the 1990s that revels in its mediocrity, the kind of film that wouldn't normally get a theatrical release in Mumbai except for the stray morning show in a ramshackle single screen theatre.

Except that this time it's a Ram Gopal Varma movie, a mega-hyped vehicle of gimmick and bluster, and thanks to the casting decision of Amitabh Bachchan as the film's villain, occasionally elevated to, well, a Big-B-movie.

A B-movie, of course, can still be a work of art. As a filmmaker, you can choose to embrace the unreal, overdone style of (seemingly) slipshod filmmaking for its very lack of boundaries and aesthetics rather than against, directing inside the tacky box and painting everything super-bad with a delicious layer of postmodern irony -- in short, something so bad it's good.

This is how I chose to watch the new film, deciding that it's about the glory of unashamed hamming and the joy of the larger-than-life. I sat back, winced in the uber-badness of it all, and managed to actually survive through the first half. I can't say I liked it -- I doubt anybody can, really -- but it left me with some hopes of exciting action setpieces or interesting confrontation moments.

Post-interval, I failed. I really, really wanted to like Aag, to enjoy it for its sheer, (hopefully) contrived badness, but this was a dismal battle. This film is horrid beyond belief. Or redemption.

It's not that Ramu doesn't try. Varma's always been among the most excellent framers in the business, and here the master shot-composer goes funky and classic at the same time. Making cinematographer Amit Roy constantly tilt his lens at our actors, going from Sushmita Sen's dupatta to Mohanlal's beard in one fell, overemotional swoop aided by great angles and a constant movement. Even Ramu's ever-intriguing camera has never seemed this dynamic, often idiosyncratic here as he whimsically follows the trajectory of an apple here, a corpse there.

Ram Gopal Varma Ki AagIt's just that he doesn't really have anything to shoot. A lazily written half-baked script is overcompensated by the one man most responsible for single-handedly crippling a large part of RGV's oeuvre, Amar Mohile. The background-score man is in characteristically painful form, hitting constant ear-splitting melodrama as a bunch of non-actors are given a heavy load, while those sharing a half-dozen National Awards between themselves (Mohanlal 4, Ajay Devgan 2) are trapped by caricatures. Which aren't even remotely inventive.

And then there's Amitabh Bachchan. His Babban Singh (it's really hard not to giggle at all of the character names) is a uniquely twisted individual, with onebrown-onegreen eyes like an erstwhile Bausch & Lomb model, limping menacingly in combat boots and a military jacket. He's initially engaging, turning the cliche around to paraphrase immortal lines with brevity, and putting himself on the line during a compelling game of Russian roulette. Bachchan gamely gets into the character, slithering and hissing as he readies to strike fear in the hearts of faraway crying kids and policeman's wives.

While Amitabh does indeed provide commendable steam to the sinking ship, Babban is so over-written it hurts. He does superbly with a one-liner and a piece of fruit, but the frantic anxiety to make him Bollywood's greatest ever villain is all too visible as the character is loaded with bizarre lines about America and Al Qaeda. And let's not forget the Osama nod, with Babban suddenly cloaked in black a la Skeletor. Add to this a snaky tongue, a laugh that can't choose between ominous shudders and raspy hisses, and a Castor/Pollux complex that obviously stems more from Face/Off than Greek mythology. Plus he even does the Himesh Reshammiya air-bite, you know, the one after that far superior Mehbooba.

Amitabh conjures up some great moments, but he was a better villain in Aks.

Mohanlal is the film's protagonist, Narsimha, an improbably overweight encounter cop with a justifiable vendetta against Babban. He's a fine, restrained actor but despite a Hindi accent to rival Inspector Cousteau, is made to speak entirely in farcical, formulaic tripe. The best of performers would struggle, and this man -- certainly among the finest Indian living actors -- seems to give up the chase for greatness halfway through. I would, however, like to know how to throw a steak knife without using your fingers.

The rest of the characters, well, the lesser said the better. Surprisingly, newbie Prashant Raj emerges as the most tolerable of the bunch, but then again his role simply requires him to look, well, tall. Sen dresses in black and pretends to be stoic but constantly cries, looking like she's auditioning for Vaastu Shastra 2. Rajpal Yadav pipes up with a comic act limited to squeakily plugging Varma's next release. Sushant Singh plays a valiant Tambhe. Abhishek Bachchan chubbily comes on in a one-song cameo, with Urmila Matondkar, the latter forcing Babban to utter the most gimmicky line ever.

Ram Gopal Varma Ki AagSpecial criticism must be reserved for Devgan and Nisha Kothari, who play Heero and Ghungroo. In one of current cinema's worst leading pairs, Ajay unfathomably plumbs new depths of idiocy with this follow-up to Cash. Kothari can't act -- or look remotely good -- but has acres of script-space, and has to explore everything from comic timing to hysterical weeping, which isn't a smart script choice. As Devgan pulls a pistol to his head to make suicide threats, we sorely wish he'd pull the trigger.

Ram Gopal Varma might have started out -- I see no better explanation -- to make a so-bad-it's-good kinda B-movie, but tragically hurtled past the stop-signs and ended up with, quite simply, a so-so-bad film. It's the director's most depressingly disappointing work.

Ramu is a maverick, a director usually given to laughing at critics and scathing reviews, which is as it should be. The scary thing is that he might just truly believe Aag is a good movie. I pray not.

Rediff Rating: 1/5

Quelle: http://www.rediff.com/movies/2007/aug/31aag.htm

Review Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag - Bollyvista

When old classic songs are remixed, more often than not, the new version lacks the essence of the original. Much in a similar fashion, this remix version of 'Sholay' misses that mark.

Giving a brief about the storyline is pointless, as everyone is more than aware about the storyline of 'Sholay'. The director mostly remains true to the original. In Ramu's version though, the film is set in a place called Kaliganj, which is apparently somewhere by the Mumbai shoreline. The atrocities committed by Babban on the inhabitants of Kaliganj are nothing compared to the atrocities done by Ramu on the audience who watch this film!

The first half is watchable, but the second half seems to go on and on and is definitely a cure for insomnia. By setting the story in a dingy fishing colony, the visual spectacle of 'Sholay' is completely lost! Also, most of the popular scenes from 'Sholay', redone by Ramu, falls completely flat, be it Heeroo/Viru's suicide scene or the marriage proposal scene with Raj/Jay and Ghungroo/Basanti's mother. Even if this film were to be considered on its merit alone, ignoring the fact that it has something to do with 'Sholay', it still just doesn't entertain.

The one thing that completely stands out in this mediocre product and is also its best part is, Amitabh Bachchan! As dreaded gangster Babban, he once again gives an excellent performance, a sure addition to his never-ending list of memorable performances.

Ajay Devgan as Heero is good. Debutant, Prashant Raj as Raj is average performance wise, but doesn't have the charm to essay the role enacted in the original by Bachchan. Nisha Kothari's dialogue delivery raises quite a few laughs from the audience, only it is for her atrocious diction. Sushmita Sen as Durga gives a restrained performance. Mohanlal as Narasimha is excellent. The other supporting cast of Sushant Singh, Ravi Kale, Virendra Saxena, Rasika Joshi and Rajpal Yadav, all perform with aplomb.

The cinematography by Amit Roy is excellent. The songs composed by various music directors are as memorable as the songs of 'Naach'! Dialogues by Sajid – Farhad are very good. Action by Pradyumna is run of the mill.

By saying that, he is trying to make a seventies kind of film, on which he grew up, Ramu is probably trying to pull off a Quentin Tarantino/ Roberto Rodriguez on us. But forget Tarantino and Rodriguez, it would more than suffice, if he became the Ram Gopal Varma we knew....the one who made 'Shiva' and 'Satya'!

Is 'Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag', se door bhaag!

Rating: ** (Two stars)

Quelle: http://www.bollyvista.com/article/a/29/8023

Review Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag - Indiatimes Movies

Comparisons are inevitable but then again it’s impossible to watch this film without drawing parallels with the original Sholay. No matter how many character names or movie titles he changes, at the end of the day Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag is a remake of the yesteryear hit.

Narsimha (Mohanlal) was a police officer who helped in capturing the dreaded gangster Babban (Amitabh Bachchan). In the process, Narsimha ends up accidentally killing Babban’s younger brother (Sachin Pidgaonkar). Babban escapes from jail and swears revenge. He ends up killing Narsimha’s father, his wife (Suchitra Krishnamoorthy) and brother (Chakravarthy). Only his sister-in-law Durga Devi (Sushmita Sen) and he survive but not before Babban cuts off Narsimha’s fingers. Now Narsimha is hell bent on revenge and he hires two local thugs Heero (Ajay Devgan) and Raj (Prashant Raj) to get hold of Babban. This is where this Indian curry begins.

If you are a hardcore Sholay fan, you will see that Ramu has lifted about 70% of the original screenplay from Ramesh Sippy’s film. In fact, Ram Gopal Varma toys with the audience when he modifies some of the more popular scenes and dialogues of the film. For instance: The Veeru attempted suicide scene at the tank is now Heero’s attempted suicide scene at a well or Tera Kya Hoga Kalia becomes Tera Kya Hoga Mehbooba . You expect it to happen and it does but sometimes is an intentionally funny way or sometimes in a plain obnoxious way.

So is this three hour ‘inspiration’ worth the effort? Just like any other Ram Gopal Varma film, this one too is brilliantly shot but in the process of adapting and adjusting the original, the sequences turn out to be very bland and the modifications fall on your face.

The characters just do not remain with you at the end of the day. The Heero-Raj bonding is not as powerful, mainly because they have very few scenes where they can show the power of their friendship. The focus should have gone there rather than the Durga Devi- Raj chemistry which is very forced and pretty much non-existent.

But unlike the original, the villain is more human in this one. He scrambles for dear life and the fear element from the audience point of view is just not there. You are never going to hear a ‘ Beta, so ja warna Babban aa jayega. ’

The first half begins well but it’s the post interval scenes which drag on for quite sometime. The fight sequence towards the climax is very shallow and leaves much to be desired.

Though the film ends up with an extra couple of songs (especially the Nisha Kothari-Ajay Devgan track), the background score of Amar Mohile deserves a special mention. The RGV regular has done a fine job once again.

Does this film belong to anyone? Amitabh obviously makes an impact as the feared baddie. No, rip-offs here. He is the real thing and with his own mannerisms, a new villain is born. Ajay Devgan looks much fresher in this one and is more focused than what he did in Cash. Prashant Raj would want to work on his dialogue delivery but nonetheless he makes a good debut. Sushmita is her usual self and is not required to do any histrionics. The original Sholay had an ‘ angrez ke zamane ka jailor ’ and a ‘Soorma Bhopali’ along with Basanti for comedy. But when that department is left in the hands of Ghungroo (Nisha Kothari) you end up pulling your hair out. The rickshaw driving tomboy just irritates whenever she enters the screen, but at the same time you have to give credit to Nisha for showing more than one facial expression unlike her previous films. Sushant Singh as Babban’s trusted aide Tambhe is quite good as well. Urmila Matondkar’s dance sequence is sizzling.

And finally Mohanlal as Narsimha is terrific as the silent sorts. Bollywood is calling you Mr. Mohanlal- do respond. Loha Garam Hai!

Aag should not be compared to the classic but then again, there is no way out. The similarities are in your face and Ramu has gone out of his way to show us just that. However, on the way Ramu has tried too hard to fit in his tribute as well making sure that the courts pass it without any problems. Result- an awkward amalgamation of plagiarism and originality. A combination which can go both ways and unfortunately it goes the wrong way.

Rating: **

Quelle: http://movies.indiatimes.com/Reviews/Bol...386,curpg-1.cms

Review Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag - SantaBanta

The much-hyped "Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag" has finally hit theatres and film buffs must have rushed to catch the first-day-first-show. Curiosity might make the movie run to housefuls for some time. But definitely, the "Sholay" magic is missing in "Aag" and cine-goers will spot it sooner or later.

Ramu kept saying that the film is not a remake of the original "Sholay", but one look at the final product is enough to prove the veracity. "Aag" is the acclaimed director's vague endeavor to give "Sholay" dialogues a comic twist and package the same scenes against a different backdrop.

A scene where Big B plays a mouth organ brings back "Sholay" memories. Again, the tune of "Yeh dosti hum nahi chodenge" is also a rip-off. Some new lines are noteworthy but they fail to create the effect.

Shockingly, most of the scenes in the film are beyond reachable reality. The film starts with Hero (played by Ajay Devgan) and Raaj (Prashant Raj) coming to Mumbai from Nasik looking for work, which they manage to get with the help of Rambha Bhai (Rajpal Yadav).

But it's only when they are caught by police inspector Narsimha (Mohan Lal) that they realize that they were involved in some illegal work. The cop then takes their help to trap the mastermind of the racket. At the same time, he is duty-bound to put them behind bars.

After spending a year in jail, the two are back to their old ways, like Jai and Veeru in "Sholay".

In a nutshell, although the director claims to have created something different, he has just served up the old recipe in a new dish with fresh garnish.

In some scenes the director has missed on some basic things that he shouldn't have, given his experience. Although the story is based in Mumbai, it fails to highlight the city properly. Just the names of the characters have been given a Marathi flavour. Amitabh Bachchan's character has been named Babban, with a 'Singh' to tail along.

Gabbar's famous "Holi kab hai? Kab hai holi?" has been replaced with "Diwali kab hai? Kab hai diwali?". Had the Holi scene been picturised well, there would have been no problem. But Ramu must know that March in India is not ready to bear clouds, or else Sippy would have caught it on reel before.

Amitji has played quite a few negative roles before and he has done justice to the character of Babban. The only glitch is that at times his dialogue delivery has reflections of his character in "Agnipath". Ajay Devgan neither looks like an action hero, nor is he comic enough, when compared to Dharmendra's Veeru. Prashant Raj is a natural, though.

Nisha Kothari has injected an overdose of drama to the character of Ghungru, and her shrieky voice is irritating. Her repetition of the line "too much hai" only proves too much for the audience, too. Despite looking weak in some scenes, Susmita Sen's cool demeanor gels well with her screen name Durga Devi.

Mohan Lal is average as Narsimha, his eyes exuding more panic than confidence. Rajpal Yadav is excellent as Rambha Bhai but unfortunately, his screen life is too short. It's nice watching Sachin in the role of Big B's brother.

RGV's attempt to give a sexy get-up to his actresses flops yet again. Urmila, in the song "Mehbooba", looks sleazy, not sexy. The case is more or less the same with Nisha.

Not that there is nothing worth watching in "Aag", though. Some additional scenes are really well-shot. And the music in the film, just like Ramu's other films, is a cut above the rest. But overall, the film remains an awkward drama and not a bit more.

Alas! Ram Gopal Varma has not only wasted his time on "Aag" but also his money and energy. Watch the film with an open mind, without drawing comparisons with "Sholay" (which is quite impossible though). If you do, chances are you would come down with a terrible headache, to add to the heartbreak. - Rajnee Gupta.

Rating: *

Quelle: http://www.santabanta.com/cinema.asp?pid=16680

And the Worst Film Award goes to.. Review - Hindustan Times

And so dear ladies and gentlemen, this Lifetime’s Worst Ever Movie Award goes to Ram Gopal Varma ki Aag, widely reported to be a remake of Sholay Jo Bhadke. The jury was unanimous in awarding it all its topis.. trophies.. whatever.

So imagine, it is my privilege to call upon G P, Sasha, Ramesh and Kiran Sippy to hand over the topi to the producer-director who has literally opened up a can of Varmas. The Worst Film topi has been bagged hands and legs down by RGV who has made a mockery of a classic. May we request all the Misters Sippy to refrain from violence please?

Varma receives his topi and states, “In my very original film, the drunken scene, the propose-to-the-mother-in-law comedy business, heroes called Heero and Zeero, a widow and a chatterbox chulbulli are merely coincidental. I pay tributes to Coppolaji also. If Heero and all have irritated you, I promise to irritate you much more next time. Thanks.”

Wait, do say something about your Worst Director Award. Varma reads from a dialogue chit, “Direction – what, where, when? I was just making ten other movies at the same time. Thanks.”

Huh? And the Worst Actor as well as the Worst Actor in a Negative Role Awards (so much confusion nowadays) goes out to Amitabh Bachchan for the hammiest, over-the-top, yucky delineation of Babban Gabban Singh. May I request my ENT specialist to hand over the topi? Doctor could you please inspect Mr Bachchan’s nose before you hand over the award?

ENT specialist does. The Worst Actor and Negative Role winner laughs, “Ha ha! That was just a Himesh Reshammiya touch. If I dug into my nostrils, it’s because I’m a director’s actor. He also told me to flick my tongue around when a rape scene was in progress. He told me to yell, sit as if all my limbs were in a kathak pose and behave like Jack Nicholson meets Johnny Lever. He also made me wear a potato gunny sack.. very hot it was.. prevented me from a haircut for 100 days.. and painted this little worm on my nose. I dedicate both these topis to him and Kaizaad Gustaad who got me going downhill with Boom.. or was it Jhoom Jhoom?”

Clap clap. The Worst Actress Award have been jointly grabbed by Sushmita Sen who wore hundred kilos of make-up for a suffering, widow’s look.. and to Nasha Kothari for wearing denim fig leaves for skirts. May they please hand over the Worst Awards to each other? Oh, only Miss Sen is here. Wonderful!

She gushes, “This topi is more important than my Miss Universe tiara. See, here I wore a Ritu Kumar black bed sheet with pretty paisley designs.. and did my dialogue delivery with the pauses of Dilip Kumarji. Meanwhile thanks for the Worst topi.. mwaaaah. I want to thank millions of my fans out there.”

The auditorium is empty ma’am. We do have mini-worse trophies for Ajay Devgan who coloured his hair blonde, for the new Expressionless Wonder in Town Prashant Raj and all those junior artistes who did not bathe before the camera gave them close-ups. Ewww.

Urmila Matondkar deserves an award for bravery. Abhishek Bachchan deserves a book on how to act even as he steps into the shoes of Jalal Agha. Mohanlal, in butter yellow cravat, deserves the Worst Sanjeev Kumar Impersonation Award. And of course, a certificate for sheer pretentious work go out to the tilting, mad angles, smoky-choky photography, the ear-numbing music score and finally also another Special Jury Award to Mr Bachchan for killing hundreds of ants, mosquitoes and bees. Peta, where are you?

Now, the show will end with a little recommendation for Ram Gopal Varma ka Ugh.. run far far far away.

Rating: 1/2 *

Quelle: http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/...rma+Ki+Aag%2fEM

Review Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag - Planet Bollywood

When Ram Gopal Varma decided to remake SHOLAY I was sceptical; the film is the epitome of 70’s masala cinema and undeniably an outright classic. To this day, SHOLAY remains a film which remains firmly etched in my memory scene for scene, character to character and dialogue to dialogue. However when Ram Gopal Varma later said in interviews that his version was a mere homage to the genre that evolved as a result of SHOLAY and not a direct copy of SHOLAY by any means, I was somewhat relieved as Varma had done a superlative homage earlier with his immensely entertaining SARKAR which was adapted from the classic THE GODFATHER.

So does RAM GOPAL VARMA KI AAG live up to expectations? Does the movie pay a homage to not only the original SHOLAY but to the entire 70’s and 80’s “masala” action genre? Being brutally honest, NO! The movie is a colossal letdown and quiet easily one of the biggest disappointments I’ve seen in recent years.

The story of the movie hasn’t been credited to anyone as the entire storyline is almost identical to SHOLAY; sure the sequence of the scenes have changed, the contemporary setting of the movie has changed, and a number of characters have been amended a little, but the basis of the story remains identical. Inspector Narsimha (Mohanlal) hires two street smart goons Heero (Ajay Devgan) and Raj (Prashant Raj) to exact revenge on the man who ruined his entire life and killed his entire family; a man who rules over the town of Kaliganj with an iron fist by unleashing terror and mayhem. The man in question, is Babban Singh (Amitabh Bachchan), Mumbai’s number one underworld kingpin. How Heero and Raj put an end to Babban’s terror and how Narsimha extracts his revenge on Babban forms the crux of the movie. Along the way there is some romance as Heero falls in love with the tomboyish, loud-mouthed taxi-driver Ghungroo (Nisha Kothari) while Raj develops a soft spot for a widow Durga (Sushmita Sen) who used to be married to Narsimha’s brother.

The screenplay by Rahil Qazi is a mere cut and paste job at it’s worst with some of the sequences in the movie being moved around in a different order, but the entire structure of the movie stays exactly the same, and almost all of the important scenes remain in the movie minus any form of impact. The movie starts off on a slow note, and the sequences with Rambha Bhai (Rajpal Yadav at his absolute worst) gyrate on the viewers nerves. The flashback sequence where we find out how Heero and Raj met Narsimha is absolutely pathetic. From there on the rest of the movie basically follows the exact same plot line as SHOLAY.

The climax is the biggest culprit and comes as the rudest shock in the entire venture. The movie ends so suddenly without any impact at all. The climax of the original SHOLAY remains etched in the viewer’s memory as Thakur takes on Gabbar one-on-one.

As a director, Ram Gopal Varma has clearly lost the plot here. The characters poorly shadows of the originals in SHOLAY and the impact of the characters have been diluted for the most. Varma relies entirely on the public’s memory of the original characters in SHOLAY to help see his characters through; however this doesn’t work as he has also changed his characters to an extent, and again the effort is simply confused.

Any redeeming factors? Well, yes! Individual scenes in the movie stand out e.g. the introduction of Babban, the face-off between Babban and Narsimha in their few scenes together. However these scenes are too few and far in between to really leave a mark and there certainly weren’t enough of them. Also Babban’s reaction at the death of his brother and Tambhe are superb. The dialogues by Farhad-Sajid are good on the whole, except those delivered by Babban which are just fantastic.

Amitabh Bachchan stepping doing a take-off on Gabbar Singh raised a lot of eye brows and a lot of speculations. However, Bachchan does the unthinkable and makes Babban Singh a character of his own stepping out of the shadows of Gabbar Singh. This performance works simply because Amitabh has been very careful not to imitate or copy Amjad Khan’s legendary performance in any way, shape or format. Right from Babban’s fantastic entry Bachchan lends the character the right amount of energy, menace and surprisingly humour which makes the character work. His larger-than-life persona, electric screen-presence, powerful and original body language and amazing delivery and diction are put to full use and Bachchan clearly gives this role all that he’s got within the confines of what he’s been given and he comes out with flying colours.

The movie lights up for the better every time he’s on screen and his performance is truly an enjoyable one as he plays the evil Babban with absolute relish and passion. The dark humour, the hilarious one-liners, and his sadistic nature combined elevate not only the character but the entire movie as without a doubt Amitabh Bachchan is one of the biggest USP’s of the movie, and this is a performance that surely deserved a better film.

Mohanlal is the perfect choice for this part. His looming presence, powerful eyes and expressive delivery are in sync with the character of Narsimha. However again, Varma has made a fundamental flaw. Varma has missed the point of revenge and his vendetta takes a backseat in the second half. Unlike Sanjeev Kumar in SHOLAY, Lal hasn’t been given enough mettle to really sink his teeth into (despite been given some of the same like as Thakur in SHOLAY e.g. “loha garam hai”) and shine and this is a total disappointment.

Ajay Devgan springs a surprise. In a role which is completely against the type of characters Devgan usually plays, he enacts his part with utmost confidence and conviction and comes out flying colours. His get-up is fabulous, and his delivery spot-on. However it’s Devgan’s comic scenes which leave the viewer surprised as he comes across as natural as ever and hits all the right notes evoking laughter and relief at the right moments. Be it the scene where he pretends to be the “baba” or the infamous scene where he does the big “naatak”.

Prashant Raj makes an extremely confident debut. The boy has a striking screen presence, looks good on-screen, has a fantastic voice (though monotone at times) and delivers his lines with utmost confidence. He holds his own against a cast of veterans which is a big enough compliment and leaves his own mark. The chemistry he shares with Devgan is good too (though there’s not enough of it), though not a patch on Jai and Veeru.

Sushmita Sen is restrained, and the she delivers a completely natural performance which is perfect for the part she is playing. There is a lack of chemistry between her and Prashant who simply looks too young to be opposite Sushmita, but thankfully their relationship is not the run-of-mill stuff either.

Nisha Kothari does well in her initial sequences, though after a point her performance starts to gyrate as it comes across as artificial and too forced. Her delivery is poor, and though she tries her absolute hardest here, her biggest fault is that she tries too hard. To give her credit, she does look cute as a button and is consistent throughout. There is a lack of chemistry between her and Ajay which doesn’t help proceedings either.

Sushant Singh doesn’t have much to do here and fails to leave much of a mark. Rajpal Yadav gives his most irritating performance to date. Virendra Saxena is excellent. His scenes are fantastic. Gaurav Kapoor is good. Ravindra Kale is okay. Sanjay Navrekar doesn’t have much to do. Chakravarthy and Suchitra Krishnamurthi play their small parts well. Sachin fails to leave a mark in his small role.

The music in the movie is plain below average. The ‘Ruk Jaa’ track is catchy, but nothing great. The ‘Holi’ song has been well captured but the tune is a total letdown. The sole redeeming factor musically is the ‘Mehbooba’ track. The entire track has been superbly canned; the choreography by Ganesh Hedge is stunning and Urmila Mantondkar looks absolutely gorgeous here. Abhishek Bachchan is alright in a small part; though not a patch on Jalal Agha who did a far better job as Abhishek’s “cool” persona just doesn’t work here.

Amar Mohile’s background score is effective on the whole, though one wishes it wasn’t so jarring at times. Also Varma’s penchant for repeating the same background score he used in SARKAR seems shoddy.

Technically, the movie is surprisingly average for a RGV film. Amit Roy’s camerawork is good, though it’s the usual stuff he does for Varma and it’s becoming a bit overdone. Pradyuman Kumar’s action is completely uninspired. Varma’s aim was to capture the “feel” of those action films from the 80’s and he manages to do that but for the worst. The action is devoid of any excitement, and all the gun fights are a bore to watch. The worst culprits are Amit Parmar and Nitin Gupta who make an absolute mess out of the editing. It looks tacky.

In a nutshell, RAM GOPAL VARMA KI AAG is a colossal disappointment! Ardent fans of Amitabh Bachchan, Mohanlal or Ajay Devgan should catch this once, but on DVD only. With this movie, it’s evident that Ramu’s indulgence has finally got the better off him and it’s high time the man sat down and had a long (very long) hard think: the “factory” needs to go on “strike”!

Reviewer's Rating: 4.0/10
Public Rating Average: 5.25/10 (rated by 80 viewers)

Quelle: http://www.planetbollywood.com/displayRe...id=083107080117