BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE

Film: Aakrosh
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Akshaye Khanna, Bipasha Basu, Paresh Rawal, Reema Sen, Amita Pathak
Director: Priyadarshan

With his latest, “Aakrosh”, very much reminiscent of “Mississippi Burning”, Priyadarshan moves back to directing serious cinema after a string of comedies. With gems such as Virasat and Gardish under his belt, Priyadarshan is no stranger to the territory and attempts to address the issue of “honor killings”, a current hot topic in the media. 

Borrowing heavily from Alan Parker’s “Mississippi Burning”, the movie has two CBI officers, Siddhant (Akshaye Khanna) and Pratap (Ajay Devgn) investigating the disappearance of three students who went missing after their visit to Jhanjhar. To enhance the desi flavor, Priyadarshan’s Jhanjhar is land of no mercy, where anarchy has taken over in the form of corrupt, brutal IPS officers, director general, the collector and pretty much everyone who’s anyone dance away the night to Sameera Reddy’s “Issak Se Meetha” even as they kill at will, sometimes while listening to cricket scores. 

Needless to say, no one is keen on helping the CBI officers solve the mystery. If anything, they have a lot to cover up, so even an attempt by anyone to talk will get them murdered, in broad daylight. Even the officers are not safe from “Shool Sena” a group that killed a lower caste boy and his friends for trying to elope with an upper caste girl. Their only hope seems to be from Roshini (Amitha Pathak), the girl who actually tried to elope and Geeta (Bipasha Basu), wife of the corrupt cop Ajatshatru Singh (Paresh Rawal). Turns out Geeta and Pratap share a past that was left unfinished. Even so, Geeta waits for a really long time before she turns against her husband.

When you watch something like Peepli Live or Mirch Masala you know it is an attempt at making the movie as real as it gets, and movies like Dhoom series for example is all about the stunts, no one cares about it being realistic. But when the two are combined, rather carelessly, it gets confusing. There is a marked imbalance between the realistic feel that is attempted and the exciting action sequences. The narrative is not clear at some points. For instance, one cannot help but wonder why someone educated and sophisticated, as Geeta seems to be in the past, suddenly decides to suffer her husband’s atrocities with no rebellion what so ever. Also, the climax of the movie, for the all blood and gore endured, does not seem justified enough. 

Ajay Devgn’s chase sequence on top of the speeding vehicle and rooftops, crossing train tracks jumping under a moving train make for some interesting action. Akshaye Khanna compliments Ajay well as he did in Dewaangee. Bipasha has very little screen time, as do Amitha Pathak and Reema Sen. Paresh Rawal fills in comfortably as the awful wife beating, murderous cop. Priyadarshan seems to be keen on providing drama and thrill throughout. Towards that effect, there are Devgn’s exciting chases, hanging, mirch splash (from Ketan Mehta’s Mirch Masala) and flaming infernos, all put together with no adhesion between reality and stunts that make a thriller. Pritam’s music is forgettable. Cinematography by Tirru S is apt. Aditya Dhar words his dialogues well. 

Aakrosh is made with good intentions and there are some really engaging moments that make good cinema. If you never watched “Mississippi Burning”, there is a good chance that this movie is completely enjoyable. However, once similarities are drawn, which inadvertently is bound to happen, Aakrosh seems lacking in comparison. Aakrosh engages the viewer with the intended anger, but also bears the burden of invariable comparison to a classic that truly has set high standards.