[nukkad] indiafm reviews Nayak

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krishraghav@yahoo.com wrote:
> 
> http://www.indiafm.com/reviews/01/nayak/index.shtml
> 
> Nayak
> 
> By Taran Adarsh ( indiafm )
> 
>  Our country has hundreds of cities. Thousands of streets. Lacs of
> homes. A billion people. A zillion problems. And so many problems.
> But there is one man who stands up and raises a voice against the
> system. One who challenges. Who dares. Who makes the difference.
> 
> That's the essence of NAYAK, directed by Shankar.
> 
> Shivaji Rao (Anil Kapoor) is a common man with an uncommon persona. A
> fearless television news reporter, his passion for his job and
> pursuit of the truth makes him incur the wrath of insatiable power
> hunters. Like Chief Minister Balraj Chauhan (Amrish Puri), for
> instance.
> 
> Balraj Chauhan is one of those due to whom the word 'politician' has
> earned its very own unflattering connotation. One fateful day, the
> reporter in Shivaji Rao assumes the disillusioned voice of the people
> and publicly interrogates the Chief Minister on the pathetic state of
> affairs.
> 
>  Balraj Chauhan's answer is a mocking invitation to Shivaji Rao to
> become the Chief Minister for one day and see what he can do. To his
> dismay, Shivaji Rao accepts.
> 
> Little does Balraj Chauhan know that with this offer, he has dug his
> grave. Little does he realise that one man, one day, one chance is
> all that is required.
> 
> What follows is a dynamic battle of wits and fists.
> 
> The storyline sounds interesting, no doubt, but its implementation by
> director Shankar saddens you. Going by the director's track record,
> you expect NAYAK to be a hard-hitting statement on the current state
> of affairs, but the outcome is bland, unexciting and, at times,
> slapdash.
> 
> To start with, an ordinary citizen versus the corrupt politicians'
> saga has been witnessed time and again on the Indian screen. Only
> this time, the difference lies in the fact that the protagonist is
> appointed the Chief Minister of Maharashtra just for one day.
> 
> Remake of the Tamil blockbuster MUDHALVAN, NAYAK is an absolute
> letdown in terms of story-telling and direction. It has style, but
> mish-mash content. It has the required gloss, but lacks soul.
> 
>  Director Shankar has chosen a script that meanders between reality
> and fantasy, but in the final tally falls into neither category. The
> film takes off well and succeeds in arresting your attention right
> till the gruelling television interview (Anil Kapoor-Amrish Puri),
> which is the turning point of this flick.
> 
> Subsequently, when Anil is appointed the C.M. for a day, he goes all
> out to change the lives of the common man, but the issues he takes up
> seem implausible to be sorted out in a matter of a few hours. Yet, a
> few sequences in the first half are riveting and keep the audience
> interest alive.
> 
> To cite instances:
> 
> * In the initial reels, a riot breaks out soon after a BEST driver
> pushes a student from the bus. The pandemonium that follows
> thereafter is brilliantly executed. The traffic jam and bedlam at
> Flora Fountain, one of the busiest business districts of Mumbai, is
> so true to life.
> 
> * Similarly, Anil Kapoor peeling the mask off Amrish Puri's face
> during the interview is superbly executed. Also, Anil issuing orders
> to arrest Amrish Puri and his ministers at the interval point holds
> interest.
> 
>  Regrettably, the brakes fail in the post-interval portions!
> 
> After Amrish Puri's arrest at the interval point, you expect the
> drama to gain momentum in this half. Instead, the focus shifts to the
> romance between Anil and Rani.
> 
> Even otherwise, the second half has a plenty of unpalatable
> sequences. But the one that takes the cake is when Anil, who has won
> the elections and been appointed the C.M., gets into a disguise and
> dances in the fields with Rani.
> 
> The disguising act continues; sometimes he wears a turban and becomes
> a vegetable vendor (imagine a C.M. doing that!) or at times, he runs
> atop a double-decker bus and fights with a thug.
> 
> If Shankar's direction is not even half as inspiring as his previous
> efforts (GENTLEMAN, HUMSE HAI MUQABLA, HINDUSTANI), the script he has
> chosen is half-baked. Besides a faulty screenplay (second half), the
> placement of the songs in this half is faulty.
> 
> The songs pop up without valid situations, acting as speed-breakers
> in the process. In fact, a majority of the songs in the second half
> seem forced and have been incorporated only because Hindi films are
> incomplete without them!
> 
>  A.R. Rahman's music is of a mixed variety. Barring 'Shakalaka Baby'
> (picturised on Sushmita Sen) and 'Chalo Chale Mitwa', the remaining
> numbers are just about okay. The special effects in the 'Saiyaan'
> number weren't required at all.
> 
> Cinematography (K.V. Anand) is awesome. The colourful sets (Thota
> Tharni) are imaginative. Editing (B. Lenin-V.T. Vijayan) is loose.
> The second half is very lengthy and can do with trimming. Dialogues
> are superb, mainly the ones mouthed by Paresh Rawal. The stunts are
> pulsating, especially the mud fight in the second half.
> 
> Anil Kapoor tries hard to live the character and succeeds to an
> extent. The actor is in form in a restricted few sequences only and
> that's thanks to a substandard screenplay. Rani Mukherji has no role
> to talk of. In fact, Pooja Batra has a better role than her.
> 
> Johny Lever's comedy falls flat. The ladies and family audience won't
> appreciate his one-liners, repeated time and again. Amrish Puri is
> quite good, but it is Paresh Rawal who steals the show with a
> fantastic performance.
> 
> On the whole, NAYAK does not meet the gargantuan expectations
> generated from a film of this magnitude. Its weak second half and a
> heavy price will see most of its distributors in the red.
> Disappointing.
> 
> Rating:- *



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