Aakrosh, Film Review

Watched Aakrosh yesterday. Story purportedly about honour killings. Ranvir Sena meets Nitish Katara type situation, along with copying from Company (tera paas aur koi choice hai?) and Mirch Masala and sundry other films, including a sequence that reminds us of Ajay Devgan's debut film Phool Aur Kaante. Casting is superb, but the lead characters (Ajay Devgan and Akshaye Khanna), who otherwise put in credible performances, have too much glamour which distracts - imagine fitted shirts, ties, and jackets in the hinterland without breaking a sweat. Paresh Rawal surprisingly overacts but gives you the creeps. Bipasha is a complete misfit and really has no reason to exist in the film. This genre (aka 'Heartland Caste Violence Porn') is really Prakash Jha territory in the modern day (remember Apharan?) and the attempt at that kind of crude dialogue 'uska future kharaab kar denge' (Aakrosh) falls flat compared with 'first timer log hai, kahin nervusiya gaya to bal-under ho jayega' (Apharan). Lots of brutal violence, most of which is likely true; makes you sick to the stomach but not as much as Bandit Queen, which required therapy afterwards. Worth watching, if only to see what goes on in the heartland and convince yourself that 'this doesn't happen in the cities' and that the Taliban live only in Afghanistan. I'm certain you're aware ki that apathetic self-comforting is delusional.