Thursday, June 22, 2006

Garv Movie Review

Rating: 3/5
Puneet Issar sticks to a tried and tested storyline in his directorial debut. At the center of the story are three cops who decide to wage a battle against the underworld and corrupt politicians. As expected, the bad guys get back at them, eliminate one of them and target the family of our hero cop played by Salman Khan. 

And when Salman cracks down on his enemies in his own way by trespassing the line of law, he is becomes the victim of the same law that he was trying to uphold. But the simmering anger in him won't give him any peace of mind until he has put his enemies to rest in peace forever. Clich�d to the core? Yes it is. But boring it is not. 

The only good thing about Garv is that it moves at a very slick pace right from the stylish introduction of Salman in the initial reels. Although the drama builds up in a predictable manner, its pace, supported by commendable performances from actors, keep the viewer interest alive till the interval point when Salman challenges the don and the battle line is drawn.

The beginning of second half breaks the pace of the narrative when the story strays into romantic track between Salman and Shilpa Shetty. The two dream songs of Salman and Shilpa jiving first in Rajasthan and then in Mauritius stand out like oddities. 

Salman Khan deserves credit for playing his role of a conscientious cop Arjun Ranawat with conviction. He has the right walk, the right series of gestures and much improved facial expressions to lend credibility to his character. His verbal encounters with the corrupt politicians are praiseworthy.

Shilpa Shetty has been included in the movie just for the sake of having some romantic interest for hero. Her contribution to the film remains just two songs and few romantic sequences.

In short, Garv is a film aimed at masses. It has the necessary ingredients of a masala film - the battle between good and evil, the evil overcoming the good for short time and the eventual rise of the good one to score an ultimate victory over the bad guys. Apart from this, it has a romantic angle in the sidelines and some punchy inclusion of Sanskrit shlokas to symbolize the triumph of good over evil.

Nothing new, but worth a watch.