FILM
REVIEW: ELAAN (2005)
Director: Vikram Bhatt
Producer: Venus
Cast: Amisha Patel, Arjun Rampal, John Abraham, Lara Dutta, Rahul Khanna and Mithun Chakraborthy
Radio
Sargam Rating: 3/10
Synopsis:
Karan (Rahul Khanna), the young scion of Kantilal tells his father not to heed to the threats of Baba Sikander (Mithun Chakraborthy) and pay up the extortion money that the don is asking.
Baba is an international gangster wanted by cops from many countries. He is also in drugs, kidnapping and murder as well.
Karan is hurt and he seeks revenge. Karan knows well that he cannot do the task alone. So he wants help. A reporter who wants more stories Priya (Amisha Patel) tries to pitch in with help. Never mind if she is singing and dancing with the hero and fighting with him as well in the process of making him tell his story.
An ex-cop Arjun (Arjun Rampal) joins in. So does Abhimanyu (John Abraham). Abhimanyu used to work with Baba Sikander and has a problem with him as Abhimanyu had to go to jail for some reason. Abhimanyu's dancer girlfriend Sonia (Lara Dutta) is also roped in and instead of sashaying and prancing all the time. she joins in the action flick. It is time that she realises that action is not like doing item numbers.
Now all these five, set out to eliminate Baba Sikander. But it is not that easy as the man is the most wanted criminal on the list of the Indian police. And if the cops can't get him, it would not be easy. But it is. And that is what makes the villain look like a buffoon. Even cops look like idiots in this film. This makes one wonder what kind of a training, these policemen would have received.
Anyway good triumphs in the end.
Critique:
Elaan is a film that promised so much when one looked at the promos. Sadly, that's the only thing that has been made with elan. The film isn't. Watching the film is like going to el'-aan back (pun intended).
The plot is very cliched, the music is below average and the dialogues are pathetic.
There is too much cinematic liberty- the protagonists are kept alive by the villain who spares them instead of killing them when he lays his hands on them - is too far fetched. No sane man would let his prey go, when he has them under control.
There is style without substance in the film, a common feature of films being made today. The movie has quick cuts and great locations with scintillating photography by Vikram's father Pravin Bhatt, but the film lacks soul.
John Abraham is the only good feature of the film. The rest of them don't make any sense including Mithun Chakraborthy who has been miscast. Amisha Patel with her weird hairstyle plays a news reporter. can someone till her that reporters with such hairstyles don't get jobs in Indian news channels. She is shown to be a Hindi speaking reporter and suddenly she rattles off French when in trouble. Sad.
A lot of scenes are too filmi for audiences today. Even though the audience like slick films, they need a plausible movement in the story, which is not much the order of the day.
Songs jump into the frame so easily that you wonder what's wrong with the maker. They need to be woven into the story and that is not what the makers need to understand these days. It is not 1980 anymore.
Conclusion:
Stay at home this week and watch Sholay on video.
Reviewed
by: Tony
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