Writer: Janak

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Watch this if you liked: "Badal", "Chamku", "Don – The Chase Begins Again"

A remake of Telegu film "Athadu", one would think that the creative poster and Dharmendra's son returning to the silver screen would offer something new. However, the movie should have been done in the 90s and perhaps, it could've been well blended in during that era.

Nandu (Bobby Deol), a gangster on the run, is falsely blamed for assassinating a great politician. The worst is when he bumps into Puran (Pradeep) and gets him killed when police accidentally shoots Puran instead of Nandu. While escaping, Nandu bears the guilt so he left for Puran's hometown to break the news to his family. Upon arrival, the family thinks that Nandu is Puran, who have not returned home since childhood. Thus, begins a new chapter for Nandu as he experiences the family's love, though not for long as Inspector Rana (Nana Patekar) is closing in on his tracks.

Bobby Deol as usual, plays the same gangster roles as some of his earlier films but only to look much older. Nana Patekar is at his best comedic timing again as a witty cop with popcorn dialogues. The audience will definitely have a few laughs whenever he appears. Shriya Saran who plays Preet, Bobby's love interest, is the new face in Bollywood and her performance did justice to her character. Fans will also be delighted to see a few cameos by other Bollywood stars such as Jackie Shroff and Chunkey Pandey.

The storyline was hard to understand, as there were many loopholes. Sadly, scenes that were not that important was stretched too long, while those that were crucial were cut too short. The action sequence was slightly disappointing as it was overly done by including ideas from "The Matrix".

Songs wise, Pritam - the music director of recent "Billu Barber", has lost his magical touch. The songs will remind audience a lot of other Bollywood mushy songs, so let's hope that Pritam will bounce back with better music next time around.

Overall, the movie fails to impress and is really not worth the watch unless you are a true Bobby Deol fan.

Cinema Online, 31 March 2009