Entertainment


No laughs - a real thriller


1/ 3/2004

Bollywood action/cop movies are rarely good. Their often laughable action scenes are usually intertwined with lame story lines badly copied from Hollywood. I was therefore apprehensive faced with this multi starrer.
But no worries, Khakee is in a different league from your usual Khiladi affairs that frequently involve Akshay Kumar chasing baddies for three hours.
Khakee begins when a police squad is blown half away while transferring terrorist Iqbal Ansari (Atul Kulkarni) from one prison to another. The real target is Ansari but he survives the blast.
The new task of bringing Ansari to Mumbai is assigned to deputy police commissioner, Anant Srivastava (Amitabh Bachchan). He is considered a plodder by colleagues and this assignment offers him a chance to prove his hidden worth.
With him on the mission are Inspector Shekhar Sachdev (Akshay Kumar), low on ethics, and Inspector Ashwin Gupte (Tusshar Kapoor), still learning the ropes of what it takes to be a man in uniform. Then there is the mysterious Inspector Angere (Ajay Devgan) who says nothing and frequently disappears from the scene.
Things keep going wrong.
Is there an unknown someone doesn't want Ansari to make it to his new jail or is there a traitor in the ranks. The deputy commissioner wrestles with this dilemma putting his life on line to fulfils the mission assigned to him.
Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, Khakee is an intriguing thriller full of surprises. The tension is sustained through out helped by the unexpected twists and turns that capture the viewer's attentions completely. Another highlight are the electrifying and believable action sequences - no jumping 20ft walls or offing 100 guys in one go.
Notable are the cops fighting the unseen enemy in a village fair, dodging desperately amidst hundreds of cattle. Another is a train chase in the latter half of the movie.
Santoshi keeps the momentum building until the climactic scene when the true identity of the real villain and his accomplice are exposed.
Amitabh Bachchan towers over other performers and stands out in a number of scenes including an argument with Akshay Kumar and his outburst at the police station, when he reminds the officer in charge of the duties of men in uniform.
Akshay Kumar too gels with his character of a brave and pragmatic cop who believes that the wheels of a system cannot move without a little bit of corruption. He really excels in the scene that shows his change of heart, when he decides to support Amitabh in the mission.
Lets hope this film will set new trends for future Bollywood action thrillers that are a world away from cheesy fights and lame stories.

Review by Zahir Mahmood


Have your say
 
Have your say Got an opinion you want to share?
Register now and have your comments heard.

Register now

Latest stories
 

 
Personal Finance
 

Customers with a 'good' credit profile
Company Typical APR
Platinum Exclusive Loan 7.8%
Bank of Scotland (Semi-exclusive) 8.6%
Halifax (Semi-exclusive) 8.6%
Alliance & Leicester 8.7%
Lloyds TSB 8.9%
HASH(0x14d84b5c)
Provider AER*
ICICI BANK
HiSAVE Savings Account 		5.50%
PRINCIPALITY BS
e-SAVER 		5.35%
ANGLO IRISH BANK
Easy Access Account Issue 2 		5.25%
FIRST DIRECT
Everyday e-Saver 		2.75%
ALLIANCE & LEICESTER
Online Tracker 		4.75%
BRADFORD & BINGLEY
eSavings 6 		4.60%
SAINSBURYS FINANCE
Internet Saver 		4.00%
ALLIANCE & LEICESTER
eSaver - Issue 2 		5.00%
POST OFFICE
Instant Saver 		3.75%
Fees may apply