Let’s acknowledge, first, the genuine attempt by director Karan Malhotra to infuse into his film the sensibility of Bombay cinema, not Bollywood – the Hindi cinema of the nineteen-seventies and eighties that Amitabh Bachchan transformed into a blood-spattered battlefield, both literally and metaphorically, in the mind. (Agneepath begins in 1977.) This cinema was no longer interested in Rajendra Kumar singing shy, swoony odes of love to a sweetheart whose face was hidden from him by a veil, or in the hill-station romance where exuberant actors would pretend to be someone else in order to woo pouty, pretty-faced heroines on vacation. Despite instances of both these kinds of films, the Bombay cinema was essentially Bachchan’s cinema, and it’s a thrill to see at least some of those rhythms replicated here – the mirror-image stagings of key scenes (the entry of the hero, first as child and later as adult, in festive, gulal-smeared circumstances; the hanging of a good man avenged by the hanging of a bad man), or the film’s most expressive instance of sentimentality, the extraordinary moment where prostitutes offer their upper garments to erect a shield from male eyes around the birth of a girl child. This big-heartedness, this generosity is not something we often see today in the Bollywood cinema which is all about satisfying the self (not that there’s anything wrong with that).
Agneepath welcomes back to the Hindi screen the masterji, the zamindar, the prostitute-equivalent with the heart of gold, the venerable mother-figure, and, especially, the villain (Sanjay Dutt) so larger than life that he looks like he’s risen from hell, hulking and hairless. There is also a sincere attempt to infuse some of Bachchan’s anger into the proceedings, that smouldering rage against an establishment that just won’t let him be. Vijay’s (Hrithik Roshan) father, the doomed masterji, muses, “Bahut gussa hai mere bete ke andar.” The child actor frets and fumes, but very little of this anger finds its way into Vijay as an adult. The director and the star (understandably) see the protagonist as a tragic figure, but the only time he is shaped by the titular fire is when his path is determined for him in an early scene staged around a burning house and lit by the torches of a lynch mob. Elsewhere, there’s only water – most of it in Hrithik’s eyes.
Has there been a gangster in Hindi cinema who has wept as much? Vijay weeps when he spies his estranged family from afar. He weeps when his sister returns to him. He weeps around his girlfriend (Priyanka Chopra). He weeps when he visits his birthplace and sets eyes on his now-dilapidated roots. After a point, you may feel like calling him aside and whispering into his ears the injunction that Aamir Khan delivered to the dithering Saif Ali Khan in Dil Chahta Hai: “Mard ban. Be a man.” It’s hard to see Hrithik as someone possessing the “jungli khayal” that his mother accuses him of. Even his posturing is filled with a delicate feminine grace, as if he were starring in a dreamy ballet. (Those long strides in slow motion. That self-aware blossom of a smile.) When Hrithik, in the climax, is stabbed from behind, his arms flail about as he sinks to his knees, and you feel he’s auditioning, yet again, for the part of Jesus. You can almost hear his silent scream: “My lord, my lord, why hast thou forsaken me?”
Such a “hero” would have been laughed off the screen in the Bachchan era, where real men did not flaunt six-packs and biceps like walking advertisements for the local gymnasium – their masculinity lay inside, fostered by the punches life threw at them. When Vijay, as a child, shoots a cop, we are reminded of Nayakan. That was another film where the hero toted around a paunch, and was none the less masculine for it. This isn’t to say that a startling handsomeness like Hrithik’s lies outside the precinct of movie masculinity, but what we sense in him is an excessive preoccupation with how he looks and – more importantly – how he wants us to think he looks. (His performance in Guzaarish was honest and heartrending precisely because, in that film, he didn’t care how he looked.) At no point in Agneepath was I able to buy Hrithik Roshan as a gangster. The Bachchan performance in the earlier film is not one of my favourites – but even amidst the very showy (and distracting) histrionics, we were never allowed to lose sight of the anger within the character. And without that anger, there is no fire – no matter how many times you recite Agneepath.
It’s not just Vijay who’s all surface, with little inside. Kancha, the villain, is introduced in a scene that imbues the character with tremendous psychological heft. He hates mirrors – or perhaps he’s afraid of them – because they remind him of how he looks. How much more this antagonist’s self-hatred should be, then, when confronted with a protagonist as supremely good-looking as Hrithik. But nothing much is made of this, just as nothing much is made of Rishi Kapoor’s character, who sells little girls to leering old men from the Middle East. These vivid brushstrokes are audience-grabbing ways to introduce these characters to us, but they don’t paint them, thereafter, in particularly significant ways. I would have also liked a little more investment in the relationship between Vijay and the good cop (played beautifully by Om Puri). What lies at the root of this man’s affection for someone so clearly on the other side of the law?
Perhaps it’s the fact that we never really see Vijay as being on the other side of the law. In the great gangster films like Deewar and Nayakan and Vaastav (which I kept thinking about throughout this film), we are presented with the other side, the moral side, the male’s petulant privilege of doing wrong balanced by the female conviction of what is right. The mothers and the daughters in those films shamed the men into introspection, whether what they were doing was right (even if they reconciled themselves, eventually, with reasons of their own making). That sense of morality, which is so necessary to showcase a man compelled to be the man that he is, is absent here. (The mother figure, played by Zarina Wahab, barely makes an impression.) We see Vijay, therefore, not as the tragic figure that the director and the star envision, a good man cast into murky waters by the doings of destiny, but as a mere hero who bays for the villain’s blood in order to avenge himself of his daddy’s death. We could be watching Yaadon Ki Baarat – with blood.
Agneepath is thunderously staged (quite literally; the background score is a force of nature) and it’s never boring, but the film never amounts to anything. I especially enjoyed the song sequences, which erupt with the kind of spirit and colour and noise that we don’t find, any more, in the modern-day multiplex film, which prides itself on being cool and removed. And Katrina Kaif, in the roof-raising Chikni chameli song sequence, may well be a metaphor for the movie. She makes all the right moves, giving every part of her creamy anatomy a vigorous workout. She throws herself into this invigoratingly vulgar song – but the vulgarity never reaches her eyes. She’s designer-chic, a convent-educated actress simply playing a part, unlike a fleshy and robustly rustic Jayshree T, whose hips would have told an entirely different story. I watched Agneepath torn between these twin admonitions from my mind: “They don’t make them like they used to.” “But then, they don’t make them anymore.” In these parched times, perhaps we should be grateful that the well, even if shallow, hasn’t run dry.
Copyright ©2012 Baradwaj Rangan. This article may not be reproduced in its entirety without permission. A link to this URL, instead, would be appreciated.
Srividhya Mahesh
February 16, 2012
Beautifully written, enjoyed reading word of it!!! I’ve been reading your reviews since your (or rather my) Madras Plus days…. you’re writing has matured with the years, I must say. I can still quote many of your funny one liners from your reviews, and still smile while thinking of them. 🙂 Wouldn’t want to crowd your comments space with those one-liners. I remember reading them out aloud to my father and still think about those days and laugh. Now I read some of your reviews out to my father over the phone 🙂 he does not prefer to read e-versions!! Your writings sometimes become part of our conversations as well!!! I’m sure your writings would influence Indian cinema in a positive way!!! Keep writing!!!
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Sruthi
February 16, 2012
I went back to see the Amitabh ka Agneepath for I remembered only snatches of that movie – random things like that yeke yeke song when a helicopter circled over Danny’s lair. I remembered a very different emotion watching it then – that of heaviness. Amitabh lumbering with that ‘hain’, ‘hain’ or those motley villains with long long dialogues. When I tried to recollect the older movie watching this, I couldn’t. Hrithik seemed too light, more water than fire, as you describe. Maybe this is how audiences today can relate to agneepath – a sort of airbrushed tragedy. Says something about sensibilities today, no? I think Sadanand Menon’s description (this was about Slumdog) captures it well – ‘It is a technique favoured by the advertisers, denuding images of emotional content, using them for pure sensory effect. ‘
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Nitin
February 16, 2012
While watching the movie, I got a OMG feeling…Karan johar has totally “gayfied” the original Agneepath !!
When Hrithik walks in the police station, you half expect him to say Amitabh’s famous lines”Naam Vijay Dinanath Chauhan” etc etc.What you certainly don’t expect is “Aae Kashi Aye? (Hows’ mother?)
Also, what the hell was that scene about…an entire Dongri chawl celebrates the birthday of Hrithik’s sister…someone who they havent seen at all.
Finally,Hrithik as his gang members has a bunch of eunuchs.This is an apt metaphor of the emasculation of a great film !!
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BK
February 16, 2012
Hrithik’s Vijay Dinanath Chauhan was more like an alter ego of the older one. While earlier one wears business suits, is sure of himself, doesnt look for acceptance from anyone, has his vision focused, asserted his authority on anyone and everyone and never danced. His alter ego though wears jeans and shirt, dances, cries, yearns for acceptance from each and every one and is rarely sure of himself. He is like a parody of the older one. But its a huge hit and you can’t question success. Maybe this is the way forward.
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Ramya
February 16, 2012
I think it’s interesting…..how the hero of this film has been re-written to be a man more in line with the tastes of audience today (one who cries, who cares about the women in his life etc etc.) while the format of the film remains very much in the 70’s – the story, the melodrama and all. I would have thought that wouldn’t work for me, but surprisingly, it did. Not in a “This was such fantastic fun” way as much as in a “alright, that was decently entertaining” way.
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BK
February 16, 2012
A little off topic from the main theme but I would like to add this since you mentioned about Deewar and Nayakan and Vaastav.
Have you ever done a writeup on love story between a Gangster and a prostitute in Indian Cinema? All the three movies had a very strong undercurrent of the same.
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Manish
February 16, 2012
I was shocked to read that Bachchan performance in earlier version is not one of your favourites!
Not that you are not entitled to your opinion :), but perhaps you can give it another try, in case you havent watched it recently (or ‘enough’ times)
And perhaps you can give a special focus this time to some specific scenes, that may not be so much hyped up, but crucial for assessing Bachchan’s performance. Scenes like:
– His visit to good cop’s house
– One where he saves the good cop from Danny’s men
– The restaurant sequence with Madhavi
– Amitabh just before entering Dharavi area to rescue his sister
– Interaction with Dinkar Rao just after Bachchan gets Mandwa back from Kancha
– The final sequence just before Bachchan starts the run towards Kancha
– And of course the famous entry sequence at the police station
IMHO, best bachchan performance ever (and I have seen them all, including the likes of Alaap and Saudagar 🙂
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Arif Attar
February 16, 2012
BR, all excellent points. There’s a scene where Vijay is eating rice with his fingers outside his mother’s home. I think I just switched off after that…..the act looked so superficial, you could tell Hrithik has never eaten with his fingers in his life.
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anamika
February 16, 2012
you are so so funny and good to see the vishnu avatars have not usurped that!!-that image of hrithik roshan falling as Jesus christ could not have been detailed better…only thing machan,now you make me feel guilty looking at roshan with drool worthy eyes,instead I just see the lord!!!-halleluiahhhhh!
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Nimmi Rangswamy
February 16, 2012
@BR, Issues Issues with this review… Ramya’s comment is very apt…
“…I watched Agneepath torn between these twin admonitions from my mind: They don’t make them like they used to…But then, they don’t make them anymore… In these parched times, perhaps we should be grateful that the well, even if shallow, hasn’t run dry…”
Off-late there is this older vs multiplex movie face-off in your reviews…
Why parched? You really think 70’s 80’s-style movies are the zenith of the Bollywood commercial Or disappointed with the multiplex era like, just in 2011, Rockstar, Dirty picture, Jessica, Yellow boots, Delhi Belly, Shaitan, ZNMD, SBGangster [ you sorta thumbs upped RA one] which are all really interesting films … why are they just ‘shallow hasn’t run dry’?
The new Agneepath is not scintillating but interesting variation on the AB character, a more inner personal anger.. Do we want a robust redux?
Lamenting Jayashree T over Ms Kaif is such a big deal, come on? I am a bit perplexed with all the lament…
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brangan
February 16, 2012
BK: Lovely point. Will pick up ot sometime. There seems to be a primeval bond between the gangster and the whore, no?
Manish: My favourite Bachchan performances are from the 70s and the earoly 80s — till about Shakti, maybe. But yes, it’s been a while since I saw the older Agneepath and I should probably watch it again.
Nimmi Rangswamy: There have been plenty of recent multiplex movies that I have liked and written about well. I’m just saying that the movies of that 70s-80s era were made in a certain way and (in the case of the best of them) with a certain rootedness and honesty, and I didn’t sense that here. (Because this film deliberately goes out to invoke that style, it’s only fair to see through that prism — and not the prism of the new multiplex movies, which operate on an entirely different paradigm.)
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Cathartist (@Cathartist)
February 16, 2012
Hi Nitin, I’ve taken the liberty of correcting your comment for grammar, punctuation and spelling. At GaysiFamily, we’re always looking for folks to educate about homophobia. We occasionally feel generous and correct grammar and spelling too. Here:
http://postimage.org/image/ga3zvzjst/
We believe your comment to be an apt metaphor for the mutilation of the English language.
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venkatesh
February 16, 2012
Having not seen the film and only the song (Chikni Chameli) – i couldn’t understand why i didn’t like the song , now i know , its exactly this :
“She’s designer-chic, a convent-educated actress simply playing a part, unlike a fleshy and robustly rustic Jayshree T, whose hips would have told an entirely different story”
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Nimmi Rangswamy
February 16, 2012
BR, fair enough!
Sometimes remakes are such a pain to make and watch, given that the contexts of filmmaking + the social cues have changed so much over decades! The more a film being rooted the more difficult to remake! What bothered me was the heavy stretch portending the lack of depth or ‘rootedness and honesty’ to the multiplex era of filmmaking, the cool and the remote!
The old Agneepath actually din’t connect with moviegoers either! It acquired the cult status in retrospect! The new one possibly cashed in on this…
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BK
February 16, 2012
Amitabh just before entering Dharavi area to rescue his sister and also the way he runs across the Dharavi.
The final sequence just before Bachchan starts the run towards Kancha and also the way he runs towards Kancha –
Those are my most favorite scenes of all time. But I think credit goes more to Mukul S. Anand for it than Mr. Bachchan
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BK
February 16, 2012
Love story between a Gangster and a whore has always fascinated me. And the best among the lot is definitely Sin City – The Hard Goodbye episode.
I think what works in their favor is the no expectation factor. As Anita says in Deewaar – “I am going to ask you give your name to my child, but I will give birth to it anyway. I will try to provide it with a life that is better than that of mine, better than that of yours”. And to which Vijay responds – “I will surrender myself to the police. So that in future nobody will get a chance to write on his hand – My Father is a criminal”. Lovely
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Nitin
February 16, 2012
@Cathartist Didn’t intend my post to be homophobic.Enjoyed reading your comments nevertheless !
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Aurora Vampiris
February 16, 2012
BWAHAHAHAHA! Good show, Cathartist.
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jussomebody
February 16, 2012
No performance of Hrithik ever rises above that smug self-awareness of his looks. Even Guzaarish. Even that was a very calculated unkemptness. Not at all a fan hence. And I haven’t been proven wrong in years. It’s quite sad actually.
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chhotesaab
February 16, 2012
Great review. Haven’t seen the movie but I get what you are trying to say. You are the only one who has praised Om Puri’s performance, while most have been gaga over Rishi Kapoor’s negative turn. And I think your comments about Katrina Kaif in the item song are pretty spot on.
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vikram
February 17, 2012
BR, excellent review as usual
Re: Katrina Kaif, spot on, I have always felt that she has the same remote smile irrespective of whether she is smiling at an onscreen boyfriend or at a child…
Re: Jayashree T, did you know, she plays dadi in one of the soaps on star plus 🙂
And not one teensy word about Priyanka Chopra?
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brangan
February 17, 2012
jussomebody: I thought his narcissism — that self-aware quality — suited his performance in Guzaarish, where he’s a showman, and his self-pity would be double what an ordinary bloke’s would be. He was cast well in that film — and also some parts of Jodhaa-Akbar.
chootesaab: Rishi Kapoor wasn’t bad — but he didn’t have anything to work off. The character was kinda stranded out there.
vikram: She is? According to me, she’s still the one from this song 🙂
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Yogesh
February 17, 2012
@ Cathartist Aren’t you a hypersensitive busybody ??!! A director/producer’s viewpoint is shaped by many factors-sexual orientation being one of them.Too bad you can’t understand this.
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Karan
February 17, 2012
@Yogesh, no, this isn’t about being a busybody. This is about correcting an insensitive comment rooted in bigotry. I found the comment silly when I read it, and I believe that my, or the director’s sexual orientation has nothing to do with it.
@Nitin, you may be interested to know that many kingdoms employed eunuchs as warriors and guards. They were considered to be as much, if not more fierce as “men”.
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aandthirtyeights
February 17, 2012
Don’t you think Hrithik is over-earnest? I mean, even when he played the part of the over-earnest guy in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (what a horrible name for a movie!), he was over-earnestly playing an over-earnest guy. He’s always “acting”, he never seems to let go.
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SN
February 17, 2012
Why did hrithik have to use his left hand to have rice? Just seemed odd as he seemed to do shooting guns with his right. Trying to be left handed like AB?
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radhika
February 17, 2012
That was funny. But I presume Hrithik actually says “Aai kash aahe” which would be marathi for “how’s (your) mother” and not “Aai kaisi hai” which would be Hindi but not make sense with the use of Aai
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radhika
February 17, 2012
sorry that should be “kashi” not “kash” in the comment above.
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ShivaCT
February 18, 2012
Cathartist, just a clarification. (And no, I haven’t seen the movie yet, and am basing my reply strictly on Nitin’s comment, and your correction). “Aae kashi aye” is correct indeed. It’s Marathi, for “How’s mother”?. I would have probably spelt it “aahe” instead of “aye” but that’s not a big deal.
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brangan
February 18, 2012
aandthirtyeights: rofl-ing at “over-earnestly playing an over-earnest guy.” You seem to be on a bit of a roll here 🙂
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chhote saab
February 18, 2012
And I remember a review of a Harman Baweja movie (some movie with cricket theme) where you sort of compared him to Hrithik (somewhat like a poor version of him) and ended the review by saying that Harman was too busy trying to ‘act’ and look good rather than just being natural. I guess even that he was copying from Hrithik!
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Nitin
February 19, 2012
@Karan Eunuchs were employed to protect the King’s harem in many cultures-Indian, Chinese,Sultanate etc.But they were not the lead members of any army of any culture.
In the Mumbai gangland scenario,having the lead crime gang consisting of primarily of eunuchs is downright hilarious.
Also, am nonplussed about your comment on bigotry.Methinks you doth protest too much
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rameshram
February 19, 2012
Historically, Eunuchs were mostly men castrated at an early age. They cannot be equated with gay people..Often films will employ a metaphor when they have one main eunuch character (his masculinity has been compromised in a way that he can only be considered an “impotent” eunuch. Maybe that was the director’s intention here.
As regards Nitin protesting too much, I think his protest was pretty classy, and if he feels the heat he’s entitled to protest, no?
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Zico Ghosh
February 21, 2012
Hrithik is a natural left hander, thats why.
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Rahini David
September 10, 2020
And people in Sept 2020 will wonder why Chikni chameli didn’t make the cut into a certain list.
☺️
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baraa
August 23, 2022
this review fits shamshera so well
the mirror-images staging, the big-heartedness, the sentimentality also the surprising mukul anand-tone with jp dutta caste politics … are all there but it’s so empty inside, it’s hard to feel for anyone or anything everything is so mechanic and so generic and the film is weirdly edited but it’s not boring and ranbir made a far better mass hero than hrithik
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