Debutant director Atul Sabharwal’s “Aurangzeb” reveals the game of power, corruption and money that revolves around the real-estate industry. On one hand, “Aurangzeb” talks about the materialistic means of life, while on the other it gives an equal weightage to a man’s emotional aspect. “Aurangzeb” is intense & dark; with some unnerving face-offs, yet at times predictable. Every character in the movie has a grey side to itself, it is this aspect of “Aurangzeb” which gives it a realistic appeal. Its good direction and even better on-screen performances might bring some trophies home for the movie.
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| (pic courtesy: movies.sulekha.com) |
Even if you haven’t seen the movie yet, just by looking at its trailors you may understand that the movie is based on Emperor Aurangzeb’s principle of killing one’s own kins to rule the throne.
‘Aurangzeb’, by some critics, is considered as a story of twins Ajay and Vishal (Arjun Kapoor), and some are calling it a story on an underworld connection with the real-estate empire, while for some it’s just another ‘average gangster movie’.
Sorry, I am not a critic. I am just a diminutive movie-goer, who sees what is served, and likes or dislikes it accordingly. And from that perspective, ‘Aurangzeb’ to me is a story of ACP Arya (Prithviraj Sukumaran) who unlike his father (Anupam Kher) finds no harm in having a share of black money under his belt. In other words, he follows the footsteps of his paternal uncle DCP Ravikant (Rishi Kapoor) – a top cop ready to use his power for all means.
‘Aurangzeb’ is Arya’s journey from a corrupt police officer to a man of principles. Arya wants to arrest a dreaded gangster cum real estate developer Yashwardhan Singh (Jackie Shroff), whose major share of empire is run by his second lady Nina (Amrita Singh).
However, due to lack of evidence Yashwardhan continues to reign over the real-estate industry away from police’s grip. Arya along with his uncle DCP Ravikant, plans to re-place Yashwardhan’s son Ajay (Arjun Kapoor) with his forgotten twin brother Vishal and thus gather proof sufficient enough to arrest Yashwardhan. Does Arya succeed in putting Yashwardhan behind bars? What is the power game that brings out the true officer in Arya by end of the movie? You can ask your friend who has just watched the movie, but finding out the same yourself would be more interesting.
‘Aurangzeb’ is definitely not something unique. It might have been made and re-made in different eras under different banners with different cast. Yet, the whole package taken together makes ‘Aurangzeb’ different from the rest. Right at the beginning, the movie introduces its audience with its theme. Its rapid pace does not lead to boredom, yet manages to put across each character in much detail.
Speaking of performances, Rishi Kapoor very convincingly plays a role of retiring officer who is ready to surpass any limits of manipulation to get what he wants. In the shoes of a shrewd officer and a cunning conspirator, he delivers yet another hair-raising performance in ‘Aurangzeb’. Ever since his role of Rauf Lala in ‘Agneepath’, Rishi Kapoor has been setting and breaking his own benchmarks.
After a not so good Bollywood Debut in ‘Aiyaa’, Prithviraj turns out to be the surprise package of ‘Aurangzeb’. He showcased the transition in the mindset of a money-puller cop to a man of principles, with conviction. He has phenomenally pulled off as a focused and intense cop.
Arjun Kapoor, who is now two-films old, seems to have sinked in well in a typical mawali (goon) character. While he plays the role of a gangster with élan, he fails to deliver in scenes which demand emotion.
Sasheh Agha has probably got the looks, but she may need another movie to portray her acting skills. It was nice to see Jackie Shroff and Amrita Singh back on the screen.
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