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COMPANY - (Reviewed By Komal Nahta)

Director: Ram Gopal Verma
Producer: Boney Kapoor
Music: Sandeep Chowta
Lyrics: Nitin Raikwar, Taabish Roomani, Jaideep Sahni
Starring: Ajay Devgan, Manisha Koirala, Vivek Oberoi & Urmila Matondkar
Duration: 145 Minutes
Released by: Eros International

RATING:
*****
(1.5 out of 5)

Vyjayanti Movies and Varma Corporation Ltd.'s Company (A) is a raw account of how the underworld functions. Loosely inspired from the lives of two real-life underworld dons, it takes the viewer on a trip into the underbelly of society. It shows how gangs are formed, how they function, how they break into factions and how crime never pays.

Malik (Ajay Devgan) is the de facto don ruling Bombay. He takes Chandu (debutant Vivek Oberoi) under his wings and develops a special bond with him after being impressed by his guts and sincerity. Chandu even saves Malik's life once.

When the Bombay police gets cracking on the don and his gang, Malik is forced to shift base to Hong Kong. He takes his trusted lieutenant, Chandu, with him. But cracks begin to develop in their relationship once Chandu's friend is killed under Malik's orders. Chandu resents the killing. This, coupled with Chandu's open defiance of Malik's order to kill a minister, gets Malik mad at him. Further, misunderstandings also follow. Ultimately, Chandu forms his own gang which is, obviously, at loggerheads with Malik's gang. Soon, Chandu shifts base to Kenya. An attempt on Chandu's life by Malik's goons lands the former in hospital. The police commissioner (Mohanlal) seizes the opportunity to get Chandu to surrender and become an approver.

Even while Chandu is brought back to India, Malik realises his folly in breaking ties with Chandu and apologises to him. While the emotional Chandu, who by then has lost his wife to the underworld politics, has no qualms about forgiving Malik, he tells him that he has become an approver.

The story is novel in the sense that such an authentic and close look at the underworld has not been attempted before. The screenplay (Jaideep Sahni) is very engaging for those who'd love to know how the underworld functions. But the question is: how many among the film-going audience really care for it? Films in India are still viewed primarily for entertainment, but Company turns out to be more of an educational docu-drama on the underworld. Since underworld dons don't affect the common man so directly, there's no real charm in knowing about their lives as intricately as the film offers to show. Because of the same reason and also since the film moves on a single track, there's no sense of identification with the characters. Although comparisons are not exactly in order, the same maker's (Ramgopal Varma's) Satya, which also dealt with the underworld, did not suffer from this defect because the characters were more identifiable and the film had more emotions.

No doubt, director Ramgopal Varma has shown underworld killings as they are - people being gunned down, no fist-fights - but this very authentic account will not go down too well with the masses who are thirsty for action as in fist-fights.

Yet another drawback of the drama is that since it is an authentic account, there's no scope for romance, comedy or songs - three important elements of commercial films. Even the emotional scenes fail to draw tears, if only because Indian viewers rarely sympathise with villains - and in that sense, all the lead characters are villains in the film. It is for the same reason that the viewer does not know whom to move with in the film, whose hand to hold, whom to sympathise with. And without that, Indian audiences can rarely enjoy a film. So, despite it being a brilliantly made and excellently enacted film, the high it should give the general viewer is missing. Further, the Indian audience is used to seeing humane characters as protagonists in films, but this one does not have characters which touch the heart because of their criminal/anti-socail/selfish activities. In short, the film deals with a world that's quite alien to the general viewer. The police's role in the curbing of underworld crime is restricted mostly to strategizing and planning rather than physical action. The commentary interspersed with the drama is not effective, if only because of the inferior delivery.

The first half is better than the second. After interval, the drama becomes a bit boring at several places. The police commissioner's brainwashing of Chandu looks too simplistic. Chandu's controlled reaction on learning of his loving wife's murder does not go with his character, especially in view of the fact that he is terribly short-tempered and impulsive. Climax is hurried and even though it has shock value, it is not how an audience wants a film to culminate. The lack of relief in the tension-filled drama is sorely felt throughout.

Ajay Devgan plays the don with aplomb. He has minimum dialogues to mouth and few fixed expressions to convey his feelings, but still, he impresses greatly. Vivek Oberoi makes a noteworthy debut. First as a gangster in Ajay's gang and then as the rival don, he does a fantastic job and is natural to the core. Mohanlal leaves a terrific impression as the police commissioner. His South Indian accent, which will go down well with the audience in Bombay, Maharashtra and South for its novelty, will irritate viewers in the rest of the country. Manisha Koirala acts ably. Antara Mali shines with an earthy performance. Seema Biswas is absolutely superb as Vivek's concerned mother. Akash Khurana, Bharat Dabholkar, Ganesh Yadav, Ashraf-ul-Haq, Akash Varma, Vijay Raaz, Mukesh Bhatt, Manoj Goyal, Rajpal Yadav, Sabir Masani and Madan Joshi provide good support. Urmila Matondkar and Isha Koppikar lend sex appeal in a dance number each.

Director Ramgopal Varma deserves distinction marks for presenting such a raw picture of the underworld, as far as the craft is concerned. The authenticity and the starkness of the drama have shock value for the audience. The chase sequence of Vivek Oberoi in Kenya, the emotional conversation of Seema Biswas and Antara Mali with an injured Vivek Oberoi, and the emotional plea of Antara Mali before Ajay Devgan are three scenes that have a lasting impact on the viewer. He uses tight close-ups at many places to advantage.

Sandeep Chowta's music is a mixed bag. While the 'Khallas' song is entertaining, the other songs (in the background) don't have much of an impact. The 'Pyar pyar pyar mein' number is melodious but it comes in bits and pieces in the film, spoiling its impact. The 'Dhanda hai' song is not too interesting. Background score is very nice. Hemant Chaturvedi's camerawork is fantastic. Action (Allan Amin) is brilliant. Editing (Chandan Arora) is very effective. Sets (R. Varman) are appropriate.

On the whole, Company, an educational docu-drama, scores tremendously in the making and acting departments. But lack of entertainment value makes it a class film with more appeal for audiences in Bombay and Maharashtra. In the other circuits, it will do well only in cities and good cinemas.

RELEASE DATE: 12th April 2002

REVIEWED BY KOMAL NAHTA