Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Aditya Pancholi, Raveena Tandon, Karisma Kapoor, Atul Agnihotri, Tanuja, Kader Khan, Shakti Kapoor, Gulshan Grover & ...
Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Aditya Pancholi, Raveena Tandon, Karisma Kapoor, Atul Agnihotri, Tanuja, Kader Khan, Shakti Kapoor, Gulshan Grover & Ajit
Aatish: Feel The Fire released on June 17, 1994, was debut director Sanjay Gupta’s adaptation of John Woo film ‘A Better Tomorrow’ (1986) featuring Ti Lung & Chow Yun-fat and also had shades of ‘Deewaar’ (1975). It was also during the shooting of this film in Mauritius that Sanjay Dutt was asked to surrender for his alleged involvement in the Bombay blast. It was also the last hit of Sanjay Dutt during his No.1 phase from 1990-1994.
When a young Baba and his brother Avinash along with Baba’s best friend Nawab kill a stalker (Brij Gopal) who was assaulting his mother (Tanuja), the latter requests Uncle (Ajit), the king of the underworld to protect them. Baba (Sanjay Dutt) & Nawab (Aditya Pancholi) start working for the underworld and become the most trusted aide of Uncle. But they manage to keep Avinash (Atul Agnihotri) away who becomes a police officer and his first task is to arrest Baba & Nawab. On top of it Uncle’s own blood Sunny (Shakti Kapoor) along with Kaniya (Gulshan Grover) are also after the best friends. Avinash is at a crossroads whether to arrest Baba & Nawab or to leave the police force.
The film has stylized action with the ‘deadly’ Dutt in full form. He kills you with his long mane, panther-like moves, Sandow vest, and his famous swag. He is superb in the role of Baba. Atul Agnihotri is passable. Shakti Kapoor & Gulshan Grover are actually over-the-top caricatures with howlarious results. Kader Khan as Kader Bhai is wonderful and lovable as the sympathetic confidante of Baba and Nawab. The heroines Raveena Tandon and Karisma Kapoor paired opposite Sanjay Dutt and Atul Agnihotri respectively are reduced to glam dolls. It was one of the last few films of Ajit who looks a pale shadow of himself. But the film belongs to Aditya Pancholi. He is brilliant as Nawab. The chemistry between him & Baba is a treat to watch which is the highest point in the film.
Director Sanjay Gupta shows promise with his camera angles and his techniques. He uses all the right tools to make a sleek film. Nadeem-Shravan’s music is another plus. Songs like ‘Khaate hain hum kasam’, ‘Dil dil dil’ and ‘Ya Mustafa’ became hits. They are still remembered even today. There are some clap-worthy dialogues too like ‘Zindagi jeene ka mazaa tab aata hai jab maut ki ungaliyan thaamakar bhaga jaaye’
Aatish continues to be a decent watch with sleek action and some fine performances by Sanjay Dutt and Aditya Pancholi.
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