SHIVA - FLOODED WITH VIOLENCE, ON THE WHOLE A LET DOWN
Rating:- *
At a time when films are being re-made, Ram Gopal Varma has the distinction of repeating his own title after a gap of 16 years. And there is nothing new about the subject too. An honest cop fighting the unscrupulous elements in the police force as well as gangsters holds no novelty today. The film tells the story of Shiva [Mohit Ahlawat], who has joined the Mumbai Police. His ideals clash with the harsh realities on the ground.
Bappu [Upendra Limaye], a gangster turned politician, continues to spread terror. But the police officers [Zakir Hussain, Raju Mavani] turn a blind eye to his misdeeds. But a new entrant in the police force, Shiva (Mohit Ahlawat), a daredevil, along with three others, decides to take on the gangsters and the corrupt politicians. No wonder, therefore, the film opens the floodgates of violence.
The film is so dark, so violent, so gruesome that you can't help but get put off by the sequence of incidents. The predictable plot only adds to the woes.
Yes, a few scenes are well executed, like the fight between Mohit and Sherveer Vakil and the chase that ensues or Dilip Prabhavalkar's [Home Minister] introduction minutes before the intermission.
While the two romantic tracks (between Shiva and Nisha, the latter playing a crime reporter) don’t hold much promise, the background score is highly effective. Action [Ram-Laxman], in plenty, is one department the film depends upon heavily.
As for performances, while Mohit shows improvement over his debut film JAMES, Nisha Kothari is plain average. But Dilip Prabhavalkar excels as the conniving politician. Raju Mavani is fair.