Review : Ek Ajnabee

The sugar-coated desi version of Denzel Washington starrer “Man on Fire”, Ek Ajnabee is an above average thriller. Direction is slick and snappy except for a few awkward scenes, and the film is presented with style and panache. Glaring problems occur because of some weak scenes, and the trite re-shaping of the story to fit the “happy ending” mould.Bachhan here is Suryaveer Singh, the angry, old man, an ex-Army commando, with a drinking problem, who’s called to Bangkok by old friend Shekhar (Rampal). Shekhar gets Singh to take up a bodyguard’s job, guarding 10 year old precocious Anamika (Rucha) daughter of wealthy couple Ravi and Nikasha (Chatwal and Zorabiyan). Singh is a crusty old fighter, who’s seen and done it all, but stil has a heart of gold. His gruff demeanor dissolves in the face of his young charge’s sweetness and innocence and the two form an affectionate bond.

Things go awry however as Anamika is kidnapped and killed and Singh takes 3 bullets. A hard-nosed fighter however, Singh resolves to take revenge, and sets out to annihilate the kidnappers with Shekhar’s help. Unravelling the crime however is like opening a Pandora’s box . . .

Amiitabh dons flashy glasses and some really smart suits to play Suryaveer Singh with aplomb. Although he doesn’t appear fighting fit (as Washington did) he does a pretty good job here. Rampal, Chatwal and Zorabiyan have smaller roles but do well too. Rucha as Anamika steals the show, with her natural performance. Model Kelly Dorji appears in a tiny (miss it if you blink) role. And Zutshi as the kidnapper has good inflexion of voice and looks passably menacing.

Although the film is good enough, it’s length and pace is tiresome; could have been shorter and tighter – especially if you’ve seen “Man on fire” as I had. Lakhia goes in for a frame-by-frame copy of “MOF” in some parts of the movie, although he does tweak it to suit desi let-the-hero-never-die tastes. Songs are good, and add to the emotional impact of the film.

Definitely worth a watch.