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Ek Ajnabee
Big B is no stranger |
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 JAN
01: Ek Ajnabee stars Amitabh Bachchan , Arjun Rampal, Perizaad Zorabian,
Vikram Chatwal and Baby Rucha Vaidya, among others.
The movie is directed by Apoorva Lakhia and produced by Bunty Walia.
It has been shot in Bangkok.
The movie has Amitabh Bachchan playing Suryaveer Singh, a retired
army colonel, who is a grim man given to heavy drinking - carrying a
weight on his conscience for having accidentally shot dead two
children during a military operation in the Kashmir valley.
But this stranger finds redemption in the smile of a little girl.
His life changes when he takes on the responsibility to protect the
child.
Suryaveer is called to Bangkok by Shekhar (Arjun Rampal) who is the
owner of a security firm. He gives Suryaveer the job of protecting
an eight-year-old girl Anamika (Ruchi Vaidya).
Anamika is the only child of the millionaire couple (Vikram Chatwal
and Perizaad Zorabian).
Initially, for Suryaveer it is just the job of a bodyguard. But the
innocence of the little girl mellows him and brings moments of
happiness into his otherwise grim life.
The kidnappers strike and manage to abduct Anamika. The girl’s
parents are shattered. Suryaveer, who is their child's protector, is
felled by the kidnappers’ bullets and critically injured. His
silence is like the silence before the fury of a gathering storm. He
vows to avenge and starts hunting down the kidnappers.
Only Suryaveer knows something that they don't. That he alone
possesses the expertise to bring the little girl back.
 With
tenacity and wisdom, Suryaveer pieces together random clues and
penetrates to the very heart of the conspiracy. Bloodied but
unbowed, his resolve to free Anamika from the kidnappers remains
unchanged.
Amitabh Bachchan himself did all the action scenes in the film.
There was no body double, no short cuts, just the actor and the
danger zone.
It is incredible to see that an actor in his sixties can command
such a magnetic appeal on the screen, as Amitabh Bachchan does. He
might have gotten bedridden for few days, but he certainly is the
spine of Ek Ajnabee.
It is Amitabh Bachchan who makes this movie watchable, who breathes
life and fire into it. His screen presence, his acting and his sheer
charm, more than compensate for the movie’s down points.
The story of ‘Ek Ajnabee’ is inspired from the Hollywood
thriller ‘Man on Fire’ (starring Denzel Washington).
Director Apoorva Lakhia has certainly improved a lot since his
lackluster debut Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost. In Ek Ajnabee,
Lakhia has stressed a lot on the movie’s form – making it slick and
stylish. He has kept unnecessary songs at bay (the movie has just
two songs in its running time and one during the end credits) and
has focused on the speedy unraveling of the story.
The first half is without doubt engaging. The movie draws to
intermission with the kidnapping, further elevating one’s
expectations from the second half.
 Post
interval, the movie is strictly OK.
However, the story does throw up a few unexpected twists and a
surprise disclosure in the climax.
The superstar’s imposing screen presence, his ambidextrous ease, his
heavy silences – all this lend enormous credibility to his character
in the movie.
Arjun Rampal looks dashing and shows no hamming in his sequences
with Bachchan. The actor breezes comfortably through his role, but
offers nothing stellar.
Perizaad Zorabian gets noticed in her scenes with Bachchan. She is
definitely a sensible actress and knows well how not to overdo in
acting.
All said, Ek Ajnabee is worth watching because of
performances and the slick cinematic presentation. Big B and his
acting is no Ajnabee at all. His performance and thus the movie are
enjoyable.
The movie has cameo appearances by Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan
and Lara Dutta. Dutt appears in a special rap song. The movie also
had Pooja Bedi in a cameo appearance as a newsreader, but that bit
was deleted.
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Rating: ***
Director: Apoorva Lakhia
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan , Arjun Rampal , Perizaad
Zorabian,
Vikram Chatwal, Baby Ruchi Vaidya |
Rating
Index:
* * * * * Just brilliant
* * * * A cut above
* * * Enjoyable
* * Average
* Bomb |
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Top
10 Desi Movies |
1 Salaam-e-Ishq
2 Guru
3 Risk
4 Vivah
5 Dhoom 2
6 Bhagam Bhaag
7 I See You
8 Kabul Express
9 Lage Raho Munnabhai
10 Don
As of Jan 28,
2007 |
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