CONTRACT
Earnest Intentions At Least.
by Vishal Verma

Banner: PVR Cinema & Ace Movie Company
Genre: Action Thriller
Producers : Ajay Bijli, Sanjeev K Bijli ( PVR) & Praveen Nischol (Ace Movie Company)  
Director: Ram Gopal Varma
Line Producer: Abhijit Ghatak
Excecutive Producers: Ashish Saksena & Umang Pahwa
DOP: Aseem Mishra
Editors: Amit Parmar & Nipun Ashok Gupta
Story / Writer: Prashant Pandey
Star Cast: Zakir Hussain, Upyendra Limaye, Vibha Chibbar, & Jaspal Sandhu..
Debutants - Adhvik Mahajan, Prasad Purandare, Sakshi Gulati, & Sumeet Nijhawan.
Music Directors : Amar Mohile, Sana Kotwal & Bapi – Tutul
Background Music: Amar Mohile
Sound: Debasish Mishra
Art: Khyatee Kanchan
Action: Allan Amin
Lyricist: Prashant Pandey & Mehboob
Marketing & Publicity Designs: Ranjan Singh & Gautam Dutta
Distribution: Sanjay Ghai & Gaurav Verma
Media Relations: Rediffusion Dentsu Young & Rubicam Pvt.Ltd.    

Technical Analysis                           
Synonymous to one of the dialogues in the film which goes like ‘ Faisla Galat Nahin Hota Natija Galat Hota Hai’, which means decisions are not wrong but the results are, that’s what you feel after watching Ram Gopal Varma’s ‘Contract’ – his second offering as director for this year after ‘Sarkar Raj’.

In the history of Indian Cinema, sequels are the rarest from rare and you register films like Koi... Mil Gaya followed by Krrish & the Dhoom series which had the hulk of the nation Hritik in both. Ramu’s sequel to his ‘Sarkar’ – Sarkar Raj has not been accepted by the masses even the brand Bachchan’s and favorable reviews could not save the film. It only got some success in Maharashtra.

It’s a known fact in world cinema that sequels had never been able to repeat the success of the predecessors, only Peter Jackson has been able to achieve this feat till date with his Lord of the Rings series.

I am writing this because the movie was promoted as a trilogy of RGV’s previous gangsta movies ‘Satya’ & ‘Company’.

RGV is known for his take on ganster flicks and he has proved himself as a brilliant maker in ‘Satya’ & to an extant in ‘Company’ but unfortunately ‘Contract’ is on such a weak premise that you are not convinced by the way RGV and his writer Prashant Pandey want to establish the similarities or the nexus between the underworld and Terrorism. On what grounds did the promoters promoted this as a trilogy is hard to believe.

Take any gansta movie from any corner of the world; one thing is common in all that strikes the chord amongst the audience - the human emotions, the family bonding which clicks.  

But sadly, in ‘Contract’ RGV hardly cares for the cliché and gives the opportunity to his editors: Amit Parmar & Nipun Ashok Gupta, DOP:  Aseem Mishra to show their skills and they do a good job.

It has been done in the trade mark RGV way - sharp editing, dark close-ups but it’s too much sometimes.
Satya introduced Manoj Bajpai, Company introduced Vivek Oberoi and in ‘Contract’ Adhvik Mahajan does a fair job but it is not likely to be the talk of the industry as it was in the previous cases.

Even the background score by Debasish Mishra is disappointing considering the score in ‘Satya’ by Sandeep.

The Story
The movie opens with Aman (Adhvik Mahajan) an army commando on a mission meets Sultan (Zakir Hussain) the messiah of mayhem who does a soul string to the commando which results in the army man leaving his job and staying like a common man.

Ahmad Hussain (Prasad Purandare) is the chief of a special cell in Mumbai police & he wants Aman help in trapping Sultan.

Initially Aaman refuses and later due to a tragic incident which results in the loss of his wife and daughter, he agrees to be an informer of the police. As per the plan, Ahmad changes the identities of Aman and introduces him as a criminal to the underworld where 2 rival gangs RD (Sumeet Nijhawan) & Goonga (Upendra Limaye) are head over tones with each other.

Goonga is under IB security whereas RD is flourishing and is the steeping ladder for Aman to reach Sultan. In the process, Aman and RD’s sis Iya (Sakshi Gulati) fall for each other and in the end Sultan, RD, Goonga, Ahmad gets killed and the protagonist says it’s only the beginning and he has to eliminate the sultan of the sultans.

Now from which angle can you call this a gansta movie? This trilogy lacks the biology (read body & soul).

Promotion
The promoters had made a blunder by marketing it as a RGV’s trilogy post ‘Satya’ & ‘Company’. They must have done this to bring the initial crowd but this will only backfire as audience will refresh themselves with the memories of ‘Satya’ and ‘Company’ before watching ‘Contract’.

Instead the movie should have been promoted as an individual film in its own. A bhelpuri should be sold as a bhelpuri not as a pizza.

Anyway media promotion by Rediffusion Dentsu Young & Rubicam Pvt.Ltd is fair.

Business Analysis
The movie has been marketed as a gansta movie the trilogy after ‘Satya’ and ‘Company’ which is not the case.

It has a tough competition from the romantic musical ‘Kismet Konnection’ which has become the flavor of the season thanks to Janee Tu….

Opening is dull and is not likely to improve.

It’s another disappointment from RGV but this time its more serious as the prolific maker has disappointed in his forte.