Story
Set against the backdrop of Mumbai underworld, Kalidas Thakur aka Dada (Mahesh Manjrekar) runs an organised crime business with the help of his trusted aid Anwar (Zakir Hussain), elder son Ramdas (Jishhu Sengupta) and Ramdas’ brother-in-law (Prateik Babbar). Soon, Kalidas’ youngest son Devi Das Thakur (Vidyut Jammwal) returns from Singapore, and is all set to get hitched to his childhood sweetheart and Anwar’s daughter Pari aka Parveen (Shruti Haasan).
However, their marriage plans get thwarted when there is a failed assassination attempt on Kalidas and the finger of suspicion is pointed at Anwar. But in a twist, Anwar gets tricked to death, and Pari swears revenge on the Thakur family.
“Mere pet mein jo bachcha hai, uski kasam khati hoon, Thakur khandaan ka ek bhi insaan zinda nahi rahega. Sabko khatam kar dungi main,” Pari makes a loud declaration. On the other hand, Devi Das bound by ties of blood and heritage, is forced to take over the mantle from his father and gets involved in the inevitable cycle of violence, vendetta and power.
Direction
Mahesh Manjrekar’s gangster film sounds ambitious on paper. Unfortunately, when it comes to the execution, the film misses the target because of the tedious screenplay. One can smell the ‘twists’ beforehand; blame it on the lack of novel writing. While the bullets fly high, the script runs dry.
If you expect this Vidyut Jammwal starrer to be a Vaastav, then be prepared to get disappointed! Manjrekar tries to make an action film with elements of drama, but struggles to reach the winning point. Also, some of the dialogues in the film come across as tacky. A word of caution for those who cannot stomach graphic violent scenes- this movie has a couple of them.
Performances
Vidyut Jammwal as the chef-turned-gangster is all ‘bang-bang’ when it comes to the action sequences. The man does what he is best at- some ‘spine-breaking’ (literally) dishoom-dishoom, smashing bottles on head and aerobic stunts.
Shruti Haasan as Pari starts on a shaky note, and her romance with Vidyut Jammwal’s Devi Das lacks a spark. However, she fares better when she switches sides post a tragedy. In The Power, Mahesh Manjrekar, the actor excels better than Mahesh Manjrekar, the director. The actor is reliable as the powerful mafia kingpin.
Jishhu Sengupta as the short-tempered, profanity-spewing Ramdas, merely plays an exaggerated version of his casual self. Prateik Babbar’s rhyme-loving character springs no surprise. Sachin Khedekar as the wily opponent to Mahesh Manjrekar’s Kalidas pulls an effective act.
Yuvika Chaudhary plays a scheming sister-in-law who is armed with ‘taunts’ and ‘devious plotting’. Sonal Chauhan in an extended cameo, ends in the film only to lend a shoulder to the heartbroken Devi Das, and get bumped off in the most ‘cliched’ manner.
Technical Aspects
Rakesh Rawat’s camera work captures the bloodshed on the screen quite well. The hand-to-hand combats, gun fights, kicks and chases pack a punch, but at time, the slow mo shots kills some of the fun. Sarvesh Parab’s editing could have been a little more taut to make the narrative gripping.
Music
Arijit Singh’s romantic ballad ‘Oh Saaiyaan’ fails to tug your heartstrings. The background score of the film is passable.
Verdict
In one of the scenes, Vidyut Jammwal’s Devi Das tells a character, “Yeh ladai unhone shuru ki hai, isse khatam karne ka nasha mere sar chadha hai.” Sadly, his thirst for revenge isn’t powerful enough to keep you invested for 154 minutes.
