review: GHAYAL ONCE AGAIN

Dhai Kilo Ka Action!

Dhai kilo stars

Mini Review:

Using flashbacks from the original is a great idea because there's little emotional content that gives you a high here. Ghayal Returns to save teenagers from a ruthless businessman who has the police as well as the politicians in his deep pockets. It is in the action that the power of this film lies. It's very raw filmmaking, but you forgive the CGI because Sunny Deol is an awesome action man even today!

Main Review:

We've been spoilt by CGI that makes apes look almost human, it makes us believe cities can be destroyed by gigantic todal waves caused by earthquakes. it creates worlds where blue animal like creatures live in peace. And then we see Ghayal Once Again where the CGI is so poor you don't want to acknowledge it. 

But you look at Ajay Mehra (Sunny Deol) and his newspaper called Satyakam (reminds you of the gorgeous Dharmendra...) and you want to give the film a chance. The movie starts haphazardly showing people doing things so randomly you wonder how they are going to bring the whole thing together. Kids chatting with each other, newspaper business heads partying with scantily dressed women, newspaper tycoon raping a young journalist who then commits suicide, politicians shaking hands with big businessman who 'rules' the city...

But Ajay Mehra has a batcave. (That itself should earn stars for the movie!). He runs his hi-tech sting operations from there and gets the rapist newspaper man to confess... 

I loved the idea of a batcave in Bombay. You wonder what happens in the monsoons...

Soon we discover that the four teenagers have unknowingly shot a footage that will get the big ruthless businessman, his wild, mad reckless son, the politician into jail. The ruthless businessman has South African henchmen who chase and capture and beat up the kids, but not before they tell everything to Ajay Mehra.

Ajay Mehra shows up as avenging angel beating up the bad guys in chase scenes that are spectacular. The heart-stopping train fight is something one has not seen in movies for a long, long time.

The teenagers have a good action set piece in the mall, even though it borders on the implausible.

'When Balwant Rai had killed his brother, Ajay Mehra wreaked havoc in the city,' shouts the politician, 'And you did what?'

The big businessman is blinded by power and will not listen. Of course Ajay Mehra shows up dramatically (don't ask how he got into 'that' mode of transport) and saves the day.

But the best part of the movie is when Ajay Mehra (yes, yes, it is Sunny Deol) raises his proverbial 'Dhai Kilo ka haath' and slaps the wild lad. It is tailor made moment for whoops and whistles.

What actually tells us that his hand must be powerful indeed is when you have the whiniest kid this side of the Mississippi hang on to his hand and swing when she tries to stop him from beating up bad lad. 

The teenagers are saved, the bad guys led away by the same cops who were shooting at Ajay Mehra, the politician vanishes from the scene, the bad guy's family looks grateful when Ajay Mehra spares their lives, Ajay Mehra recovers from the fighting in a hospital, the audience has got over dialog that differentiates mercenaries and missionaries (don't ask! don't ask!) ... And all is well.

You have a slight headache from the raw, amateurish direction, but you have enjoyed the action. This man may look his age in close ups and when emoting, but his hand, his hand of the dhai kilo is still young and can pull a knock out punch!


p.s. thank gawd there are no songs and awkward dances. that is here . 

p.s. the movie does not come with a disclaimer that there are no similarities with the ugliest building in Bombay and its occupants at all... Brave, very brave!