Review : James

Another film from the RGV camp, James is the debut vehicle for newcomers Mohit Ahlawat, and Nisha Kothari, and director Jugraj. Out of its running-time, approximately 2/3rd is what I would call a slam fest. The villains keep coming and the hero keeps beating them to pulp. Nice, on the philosophical level, where one roots for the common man. However, in the reality of commercial cinema this turns into gory fight sequences and bone-crunching assaults drawn a little too long.

The story is an oft-repeated one; the honest common-man James (Ahlawat) in conflict with the corrupt, power-drunk Neta Shanti Narayan (Hussain) and his hairy brother Radhey (Vakil). Add to the mix, model Nisha (Kothari), daughter of the DCP of Mumbai (Agashe), stir with a filmi wand, and there you have the story of “James”. Radhey lusts after Nisha, and James believes in doing the right thing, which means protecting Nisha when her DCP father seems unable to lift a finger against the wrong-doers. Thus James and Radhey meet. Now Radhey lusts for Nisha and James’s blood, which throws the pair togther in jungles and other scenic locales, on the run. Radhey chases and James and Nisha run/defend. And this goes on until the end.

The film focusses on in-your-face violence, and there is hardly any other emotion in the film. Raw action is the USP of the film, raw being the keyword. Much of the movie is just plain fighting, with swords, fists, guns etc. Kothari acts passably, and bares quite a bit, donning the most negligible of mini-skirts. Not really heroine material, she strikes me as a younger version of Khushboo. Well-muscled Mohit Ahlawat has a serious angry young man role, and he uses his limited repertoire to exhibit one, maybe two (and that’s a stretch) emotions through the entirety of the film. James is a pretty uni-dimensional character; we know he’s a good guy, but what is he actually like ? Ahlawat doesn’t give us any clues. It remains to be seen if he can actually act, in a role which requires more than expressions of anger/intensity. Acting apart, he has screen presence, and is . . . visually appealing. Shows promise.

Zakir Hussain does well as the diabolic Shanti N., while Sherveer Vakil is convincing as the venomous Radhey. Agashe in a small role in as good as ever, while Yadav prances through his comic role. The film has a distinctly Southie flavor to it. James’s friend Babloo (Snehal Dabhi in a highly overdone role) seemed to have walked in straight from a Tamil/Telugu film. The song picturisations are a la Rangeela, and Kothari is made up like an early Matondkar too.

Direction is sharp, but hurried. The fight sequences are shot well to maximise impact, allowing the hero to flip villains on their backs with ease, and break necks and wrists with a flick of his fingers. The cinematography relies on shadows, and dark alleys to pump up the intensity of the chase. Dialogues are a mix of realism and overdone filmi sound-bytes. Amar Mohile’s sound-track is a mixed bag, aiding the film at places, but also a pain in the head in others. The songs are just about OK, nothing to write to Mum about.

All said and done, “James” is still worth a watch.