Apaharan - well treated but lacks novelty

Rating:- * *

Prakash Jha’s just-released film APAHARAN tells the story of a complex relationship between an honest father and son, set against the backdrop of a thriving kidnapping industry in Bihar. Ajay [Ajay Devgan] is burdened by the expectations of his highly principled and self-righteous social activist father, Prof. Raghuvansh Shastri [Mohan Agashe]. However, circumstances compel Ajay to take a path that is completely different from that of his father.

Ajay desires to join the police force with the best of intentions but, alas, even police jobs are up for sale. Even his attempt to raise money to bribe the higher-ups, goes in vain. So, the young man
wanting to go on the right side of law is almost compelled to go on the wrong side of law. He clashes with Tabrez [Nana Patekar], a minority political leader who calls the shots while his trusted lieutenant, Gaya [Yashpal Sharma] plans murders and kidnappings from behind the bars.

Although a number of films have successfully projected a similar theme, APAHARAN does it in the most realistic fashion. In APAHARAN, the hero is as helpless as anyone of us, he doesn't have extraordinary powers to realize his dreams, he is not larger-than-life... That's precisely why Ajay's character is easily identifiable and appealing.

Although there are several twists and turns in the plot, there’s not much novelty in the script. Besides, it's too grim and dark. Even the romance between Ajay and Bipasha is subtle and doesn't really lighten the proceedings.

What’s more, the film gets too slow in the post-interval portion, which dilutes the impact of the first half considerably. Over-all, it's a one-dimensional film.

Cinematography is excellent and dialogues are soaked-in-acid.

The performances are of superior quality. It's a delight to watch Nana in complete form after a long time. Ajay Devgan is equally competent. His transformation from a simpleton to a criminal is amongst the high points of his performance. Bipasha Basu is passable. Others who stand out are Mohan Agashe , Yashpal Sharma, Mukesh Tiwari and Murli Sharma.