Producer: Madhu Ramesh Behl
Director: Mahesh Bhatt
*ing: Akshay Kumar, Pooja Bhatt, Nagarjuna, Sonali Bendre, Paresh Rawal, Gulshan Grover
Music: Anu Malik & Aadesh Shrivastava

Released on : July 24, 1998

Reviewed by: Anish Khanna
anish@indolink.com

out of 

After Ram Gopal Verma's "Satya", it seems that any movie about the Mumbai underworld is merely a child's game of cops and robbers. Is this the same case with Mahesh Bhatt's latest venture "Angaaray"? Well, sort of. Although the movie is the typical masala cops and robbers hindi venture, one is able to spot a glimmer of the old "Naam"-era Mr. Bhatt in parts of the film, making it a slight cut above the rest.

The story starts with Inspector Amar (Akshay Kumar) going incognito to his old basti to catch the underworld gangster for whom his childhood buddies now work. Among the buddies is Raja (Nagarjuna), who is in love with the prostitute Roma (Sonali), and of course - his childhood sweetheart Pooja (Pooja Bhatt). How Amar tries to lead his friends towards the right path while at the same time catching the big don (Gulshan Grover) is the premise of the film.

Now, although this may sound (yaaaawwwn) boring on paper, the good direction in many scenes, the brilliant cinematography (Sameer Arya), and some good performances make it much more interesting. Sonali Bendre and Pooja Bhatt (who looks W-O-W) do a very good job with heroine roles that are not just run- of-the-mill. Nagarjuna is expectedly good even in a two-dimensional role. The surprise, however, is Akshay Kumar, who proves that he is capable of delivering the goods if he has a director capable of extracting them. (I can't wait for Darmesh Darshan's "Dhadkan" now....)

The music and choreography are both excellent, and the big relief here is that there are no dream sequences and NO SWITZERLAND. We've seen soooo much of the Swiss Alps of late that even the sadak chhaaps and rikshaw-wallahs go to sleep at the site of the snow-capped peaks and bright-colored gardens.

One thing I must mention is that the chemistry between Akshay and Pooja is surprisingly good. In the Rangeela-esque "Tanha Tanha" number, the two manage to do a good job at the sexy routine. Too bad Pooja has reduced her film load, because this is one pair that might have had a chance. Even their dramatic scenes have some substance to them. Anyway - if you are bored and are looking for a decent film to pass the time - "Angaaray" might just set your screen on fire - in some parts at least...

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