AGYAAT
Following the trade mark RGV ishtyle, the flick delivers the thrill pills for hard core bloody thriller addicts in bits & pieces but strangely fails to explain why
by Vishal Verma

A UTV Motion Pictures presentation released by UTV (700 screens worldwide)

Producers : Ronnie Screwvala & Ram Gopal Varma
Director : Ram Gopal Varma
Co-Producers : Zarina Mehta,  Deven Khote,  &  Siddharth Roy Kapur
Associate Producer : Ram Mirchandani
Story / Writers : Nilesh Girkar & Puneet Gandhi
Genre : Thriller
Target Audience : General

Shooting Locations (City & Country)
Sri Lanka

Shooting Studios
Filmcity

Starring

Nitin as Sujal......... the asstiant director.
Priyanka Kothari as Aasha.........the actoress.
Gautum Rode as Sharman.........the actor.
Ravi Kale as Rakka.........the action director.
Ishrat Ali as Moorthy.........the producer.
Howard Rosemeyer as JJ.........the director. 
Kaliprasad as Shakky.........the director of photography.  
Rasika Duggal as Sameera.........the 2nd asstants director. 
Joy Fernandes as Setu.........the lodge manager, jungle guide. 
Ishteyak Khan as Laxman.........the spot boy. 


Technical Analysis

If you're planning to sit down with the latest RGV’s entry in his favorite genre then my humble advice is be prepared for a "slow-burn" horror film. That's not to say that RGV’s latest offering to the lords of scares is a bad flick, honestly I actually enjoyed it quite a bit, even though the it's not fast-paced, hyper-kinetic gore-fest that some of you may be expecting. So while it would be accurate to say that the film takes its sweet time getting down to the meat of the matter ... once the scary bits pop up, you might be consciously or subconsciously grateful for all the characters though without much development and the lengthy set-up without caring much why the ‘why’ factor was not considered.

Fortunately, RGV in his latest offering carries the same trolley which he has carried in ‘Kaun’, Bhoot’ etc to the jungle with cameraman Surjodeep Ghosh & creates new interesting angles. Surjodeep Ghosh masterly performs the duty of the invisible superstar of the film by moving the lense through the bushes, terrains, water, snakes etc who replace the statutes, crows, and buildings etc as properties. Accused of being a grim and creepy flick without much of a tale, ‘RGV shoots ‘Agyaat’ in a faux-doco fashion that grows gradually as the movie goes on.

Technically more slick & sharp then his previous attempts ‘Agyaat’ deserves praise for its sharp cutting by Nipun Gupta & effective sound designing by Dwarak Warrier & Leslie Fernandes.

The second half pumps up the eerie beats with the last 15 -20 minutes providing the maximum thrills.
The cast is fine with the veteran Ishrat Ali as Moorthy - the producer taking the lead & niece contribution from Nitin as Sujal the asstiant director, Priyanka Kothari as Aasha - the actoress, Gautum Rode as Sharman - the actor, Ravi Kale as Rakka - the action director & Howard Rosemeyer as JJ - the director. 
The actors' performances combine to concoct a compelling enough feel to warrant an expenditure of 1 Hrs 40 minutes.

Songs are completely out place & blah & the story is missing in this moderate gateway movie for the jungle horror sub-genre. Production values are as per the demand.

Agyaat scores 2&1/2 out of 5.
One for the eerie factors
One for the technicalities
& the last half for the performance
The movie loses on writing & pace

The Story

A film unit goes for a shoot deep into a forest. They settle at a place with bare minimal facilities run by a strange and quirky man called Setu. The hero of the film Sharman is a completely self obsessed man with no other concern except for his muscles and the leading lady. The leading lady Aasha bears with him because of his star status. Director JJ thinks of himself as India's answer to Steven Spielberg and Producer Moorty thinks the director is screwing up the film and stopping him from becoming the next Yash Chopra. Laxman is a completely subservient spot boy but with a hidden monstrous ego. Cinematographer Shakky is very philosophical in nature and Action Director Rakka is a frustrated man who hates the leading actor, Sharman. Script Supervisor Sameera is a simpleton with ideals and a secret crush on the protagonist Sujal who is an Assistant Director, who in turn has a huge crush on Aasha.

It all beings when the camera conks off... They have two days waiting for the replacement to arrive and with no form entertainment or communication when Setu suggests a camping trip into the forest, they jump at the opportunity. As Setu drives them through the jungle around undergrowth in a relic Jonga, they being to wonder how Setu can remember the way back as the jungle looks the same all around. As they settle near a pond for the night and sit around a bonfire Setu hears a strange sound. He goes to investigate and never returns. After a desperate search they discover his dead body.

Panic sets in among the unit members and they jump into the Jonga but them being unfamiliar with the terrain and their hastiness result in an accident. The axle breaks. Now completely lost and trapped in the jungle as Setu, the only guy who knows the way out is dead, they don't know which way to move to get out of the forest... yet another unit member gets brutally killed thereby, making them realize that whatever it is that has killed Setu is out to get them all.

Promotion

An RGV movie or any ones movie in that matter, needs to make its presence felt & ‘Agyaat’ has in its final hrs has done that. The dead man’s effigy may be weird to some but it’s definitely innovative & attention seeker in its own way.

This time an RGV thriller is away from ‘Phoonk’ like gimmicks which may make a section uninterested. Nevertheless reasonable publicity by Spice in print & satellite has tried to keep the buzz alive. The other indoor promos also give the feel of an RGV (certainly now an established brand) flick.

Business Analysis

UTV is releasing this moderate budget (5 crores) gateway movie for the jungle horror sub-genre with 700 prints overall (including digital). Eyeing maximum from the south (150 prints), UTV is certainly aiming higher. The creepy factor associated with an RGV movie will help in spreading positive word of mouth for ‘Agyaat’ which due to its pace may not find its expected audience but will certainly make it presence felt in the home video & T.V. sales & will  also be a welcomed addition to the resumes of everybody involve in the flick.

Other Credits

Director of Photography: Surjodeep Ghosh. Music & Background: Bapi - Tutul.
Cassettes and CD's on T-Series. Lyricist: Prashant Pandey, Sandip Singh & Sarim Momin. Music Director: Imran, Bapi – Tutul. Background Music: Amar Mohile. Choreography: Jani Basha & Howard Rosemeyer. Action: Javed Eijaz. Editor: Nipun Gupta. Sound: Dwarak Warrier & Leslie Fernandes. Costume: Vyoma Kavdikar. Publicity Designs: Sachin Suresh Gurav. Media Consultant: Spice. Reviewed at Ketnav Preview theatre, Bandra, Mumbai on August 6, 2009. Running time: 1 Hr. 42 minutes (approx).

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