Movie review Ek Ajnabee

Director: Apoorva Lakhia
Producer: Bunty Walia, Jaspreet Singh Walia
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Arjun Rampal, Perizaad Zorabian, Vikram Chatwal, Dayashankar Pandey, Akhilendra Mishra, Baby Rucha Vaidya

In a way we can say that director Apoorva Lakhia is bold enough to create a story around an old man. But if the old man happens to be Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, then there is nothing to wonder. Big B has not disappointed the director, who has kept a lot of faith in him. He is the back bone of EK AJNABEE and carries the film on his broad and experienced shoulders.

He has not disappointed the readers either. He breathes life and fire into the role he has got to perform. His screen presence, acting and charm, make the movie watchable.

Suryaveer Singh (Bachchan) is a retired army colonel, who has a weight on his conscience. During his service, he accidentally shot dead two children during a military operation in the Kashmir valley. As a result, he is affected by unbearable guilty consciousness and the pain makes him drink heavily.

Suryaveer gets a call to Bangkok from Shekhar (Arjun Rampal), the owner of a security firm. There Suryaveer gets the responsibility of protecting Anamika (Ruchi Vaidya), an eight-year-old girl.

Anamika is the only child of a millionaire couple (Vikram Chatwal and Perizaad Zorabian). Her parents want to ensure her security because of rise in instances of kidnappings.

Suryaveer starts his job as a bodyguard. Slowly his relationship towards the child becomes very close. The little girl’s love and affection bring back the moments of happiness into his life.

Suryaveer could not protect the child from the kidnappers. The girl is abducted. The parents are devastated. So is Suryaveer.

He vows to avenge and starts hunting down the kidnappers. Could he fulfill his vow makes the rest of the story.

Apoorva Lakhia has improved a lot when compared to his lackluster debut Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost. He has made Ek Ajnabee look slick and stylish. He has courageously avoided unnecessary songs and has focused on the uninterrupted flow of the events.

The first half is engaging while the second half is dragging. In the first half, the sequences between Bachchan and the little girl, the way she brings about a transition in his life are delight to watch. The child artist Ruchi Vaidya performs her part with an amazing ease and credibility.

The kidnap sequence is brilliantly executed. It leaves you spellbound. The subsequent portions - the family getting distressed - add vigor to the proceedings during the first half.

However, post interval portions fail to live up to the expectation. Bachchan’s fury and his take on the kidnappers are gripping. But the way he zeroes in on them is not convincing.

The climax comes to the rescue. There are a lot of unexpected twists turns during the scenes leading to climax. And the climax has an unexpected surprise that makes the disclosure in the climax.

Amitabh Bachchan is the pivot upon which the movie rests. The superstar’s magnificent screen presence, his amazing expressions, the way he handles the role are simply awesome.

Arjun Rampal, who has a stunning looks manages to perform with ease. His sequences with Bachchan are quite good. Though he does well to justify his role, he doesn’t impress much. But the actor can not be blamed for this, as the role he gets doesn’t offer much scope.

Perizaad Zorabian sails smoothly in her scenes with Bachchan. Fortunately, she knows where to stop when it comes to emoting.

Baby Rucha is simply amazing. The greatest thing of her performance is that she matches up to the superstar in every sequence. Her contribution to the first half makes things quite interesting. Others including Vikram Chatwal, Yuth are just about okay. Raj Zutshi, Kelly Dorji and Akhilendra Mishra amongst character actors, make their presence felt.

Cinematography adds a new dimension to the film. The director should be applauded for not overdoing the stint scenes in a thriller like this one. The stunts are limited and realistic.

Great performances and stylish presentation make EK AJNABEE worth watching. The brief appearances by Abhishek Bachchan and Lara Dutta during the end make the finale likable. So is the song featuring Sanjay Dutt at the end of the show..

Despite the disappointment during second half, which does not match up to the dynamic first half, EK AJNABEE is undoubtedly a watchable film. With several factors like Big B’s sterling performance go in favor of the movie, its prospects at the box-office are quite promising.