Himamtwala review

Director : Sajid Khan
Producer : Vashu Bhagnani, Siddharth Roy Kapur
Music Director : Sajid-Wajid
Starring: Ajay Devgan, Tamannaah

Maverick director Sajid Khan, who has been making comedy entertainers from the past three years, is back with the official remake of the super hit 80′s flick Himmatwala. Starring super star Ajay Devgan and southern sensation Tamanna Bhatia, this movie has major roles by Paresh Rawal and Mahesh Manjrekar. Already, music of the film has created a huge buzz and the film which carries huge expectations, has finally hit the screens today. Let’s see how it is.

Story:-

Sher Singh(Mahesh Manjrekar) is a evil landlord in the village of Ram Nagar. He always troubles the poor and dominates the whole village with the help of his wicked brother-in-law Narayan Das(Paresh Rawal). Among all the troubled families is Savitri Devi, who loses her husband and her son Ravi(Ajay Devgan) in the evil deeds caused by Sher Singh.

After 20 long years, as Savitri Devi and her daughter are leading a poor and miserable life, suddenly Ravi reappears in the village and comes to the rescue of his family. He not creates a huge revolt against Sher Singh, but also falls in love with Sher Singh’s daughter Rekha(Tamanna) leaving Sher Singh highly disappointed.

An angry Sher Singh forms a team and finds out some bitter truths about Ravi and creates a rift between his family. What bitter truths does Sher Singh know about Ravi? How does Ravi manage to tackle Sher Singh and his plans? and What happens to his family and love interest during the course of this time? That forms the rest of the story.

Positive Points:-

As we all knew the story of Himmatwala previously, the only perceptive was to see as to how Sajid Khan would present this Himmatwala to the audience. The set up is the same but the script has been aptly molded according to today’s time and age. Paresh Rawal is the best of the lot, and is hilarious in the role of Naarayandas. He not only reprises the role of veteran Khader Khan successfully, but also gives tremendous boost to the whole film.

Ajay Devgan looks apt for his role and plays his part well. Southern Sensation Tamanna makes a rocking debut and looks stunning in all the songs and scenes. Though her role is less, Tamanna oozes glamor and suits her role perfectly. Mahesh Manjrekar and Zarina Wahab do their respective roles well. All the fight sequences, especially the scenes involving the tiger is worth a mention. Music of the film, especially the Sonakshi Sinha is quite good. Comedy scenes between Paresh Rawal and Mahesh Manjrekar are hilarious.

Negative Points:-

Remaking a blockbuster is always a hard task as the director needs to live to its expectations first, and has to cater to the current generation of movie lovers. Sadly, Himmatwala does not fulfill the promise which the promos have created. Even the swanky star cast could not save the film. Length of the movie is painfully long and takes for ever to finish.

Scenes are melodramatic and over the top. One can see some cheezy comedy and many dragged out situations right throughout the film. The main villain who creates such a ruckus is never projected in a right way. Right through the second half his character wanders all over, and makes a confusing watch. One can say that Himmatwala is let down by Sajid Khan’s weak direction and lack of projection in the story.

First half an hour of the movie is very slow. Right when you think that movie looks good, you are disappointed with a dragged out scene. All the emotions, set up looks over the top and will surely not liked by the urban audience.

Technical Aspects:

The only saving grace of Himmatwala are its songs and fights. Music of the film is very peppy and all the songs have shot exceptionally well. Naino mein Sapna, Taki and Thank God Its Friday make a good very watch. Fights of the movie need a special mention here. They look realistic and have been canned supremely well. One fight which involving the tiger is superbly shot and gives a major boost to the film.

Graphics used for canning the tiger scenes is awesome. The tiger and the whole set up looks very real and the way it has been shot is also worth a mention. Screenplay of the movie is a big let down and that is where the falters. Though all Saji Khan’s previous films have similar comedy, his story and situations were strong. But this time around he ends up now where and disappoints completely.

Verdict:-

On the whole, Himmatwala is one film which disappoints compltely. Peppy music, decent action and some hilarious comedy scenes will be loved by the masses. On the flip side, over the top situations and poor direction go completely against the film.. All said and done, Himmatwala fails to live up to its expectations and can only be watched for the tiger who is the real Himmatwala of the film.