Gripping masala entertainer Cast: Ajay Devgn, Riteish Deshmukh, Vaani Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla, Supriya Pathak, Amit Sial, Rajat Kapoor, Yashp...
Gripping masala entertainer
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Riteish Deshmukh, Vaani Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla, Supriya Pathak, Amit Sial, Rajat Kapoor, Yashpal Sharma, Brijendra Kala, Shruti Pandey
Director Raj Kumar Gupta, who had helmed Raid (2018) which was based on true facts, now brings a part 2 with a lot of masala thrown in (story by Ritesh Shah, Jaideep Yadav & Raj Kumar Gupta). Here, he makes the hero Amay Patnaik go through a lot more problems and also throws in the antagonist Dada Bhai, who is as intelligent and sharp as the protagonist. Hence, the mind games are worth a watch. Despite being a simple film, Gupta does get sucked into the commercial angle and takes a lot of cinematic liberties that at times become hard to digest (Dada Bhai becoming a minister so easily being one). At certain points, the investigation scenes are also lacklustre. Some characters also fail to impress, like the Sardar batchmate of Amay & Raja Kunwar (both not required). Yes, the pre-climax is superb, but the climax could have been a tad better. But all said and done, the film is entertaining and intriguing and holds the viewers' attention. Plus the introduction of Lallan Sudheer lifts up the second half from slumber.
In 1989, Income Tax officer Amay Patnaik (Ajay Devgn), after raiding the palace of Raja Kunwar (Govind Namdeo) with trucks of black money, surprisingly accepts a bribe from the Raja’s manager. Getting caught, Amay is shunted and transferred out of Jaipur to Bhoj, which is ruled by Manohar Dhankar alias Dada Bhai (Riteish Deshmukh), who also happens to be a cabinet minister. The people of Bhoj worship him as he is a benefactor and benevolent, so much so that they can go to any extent for him. What surprises Amay is that he is unable to find any corruption linked to Dada Bhai despite trying to find out from the locals. He feels that something is not right. Suddenly, he comes across some evidence and requests his senior, Anjani Kaul (Rajat Kapoor), to give permission for his 75th raid. But shock awaits Amay as he is unable to find any unaccounted money. There on starts a game of chess between Amay and the shrewd Dada Bhai.
There are certain scenes that stand out: the entry of Dada Bhai, the Sushma Jankalyan Foundation search, Dada Bhai’s devotion towards his mother, and the introduction of Lallan Sudheer.
Ajay
Devgn is apt for this role, and he is spot on (despite some of his dialogues in
audible). Riteish Deshmukh is brilliant as the antagonist. In some scenes, he
lets his eyes talk. Both have parallel roles. Amit Sial as Lallan Sudheer and
Shruti Pandey (Geeta ji, Amay’s colleague in Bhoj office) are simply
delightful. They are the scene stealers of the film and bring the house down
with their antics. As Malini, Amay's wife, Vaani Kapoor gives a decent enough
performance despite hardly any screen time and dialogues. Supriya Pathak Kapur
as Dada Bhai’s mother is adorable and plays a crucial role. Saurabh Shukla as
Tauji (from the first part) is wonderful despite less screen time. Rajat Kapoor
(Anjani Kaul) is good. Yashpal Sharma (lawyer Devendra Gehlot) is likeable.
Wish he had more scenes. Tamannah Bhatia sizzles in the song ‘Nasha’.
Not
much can be said about the music, but the background score is a highlight. The
end credits song ‘Money money’ featuring Yo Yo Honey Singh and Jacqueline
Fernandez is ok. The original ‘Paisa yeh Paisa’ (Karz 1980) full song with
vocals by Kishore Kumar plays at a crucial juncture in the film.
The film entertains and grips the audience despite not being based on true facts.
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