Ab Tak Chhappan 2
Year: 2015
Director: Aejaz Gulab
Cast: Nana Patekar, Gul Panag, Ashutosh Rana, Vikram Gokhle, Mohan Agashe

Ram Gopal Verma- produced and Shimin Amin- directed 2004- film Ab Tak Chhappan remains a cult classic. The hard-hitting, well-researched film exposed the dark and dangerous world of cops, criminals, informers, gang wars and staged ‘encounters’ and it made Nana Patekar’s central character Inspector Sadhu Agashe a legend.  

More than a decade later, this famed encounter-specialist cop makes a return in Ab Tak Chhappan-2. The producer has changed; the director has changed but the actor remains the same. So how does the reprise work?

What’s the plot?

Mumbai’s crime-world is changing for the worse and some desperate measures are called for. The state home minister (Vikram Gokhle) decides to revive the encounter-squad to quell the underworld menace. He wants Sadhu Agashe (Nana Patekar) to lead the squad, much to the chagrin of the top police officers. Meanwhile Sadhu has retired to a small sea-side village in Goa, where he is staying with his teenaged son. The once mighty cop is now thoroughly disillusioned with the system. He has given everything to police force; even lost his wife to a gangster attack but now he is fighting court cases to clear his name. With much difficulty he is finally persuaded to come back as the chief of the re-established encounter squad. Once again, the same tough game begins. How will it end this time?

What’s hot?

·        The first half of the film is interesting and although it just rehashes the original movie’s popular cinematic devices, it does that well.

·        Nana Patekar’s daredevil, foul-mouthed, cynical encounter-specialist Sadhu Agashe remains potent as ever. But his monochromatic style has become cliché.

·        Some well-shot action scenes.

What’s not?

·        The film is handicapped by an unimaginative screenplay, totally predictable second half and a wishy washy climax.

·        It fails to bring anything new to the table, especially for viewers who have already seen the original!

Verdict

Ab Tak Chhappan 2 just manages to pass muster as a one-time watch. It lacks the shock value and novelty of the original. The new director Aejaz Gulab seems only too happy to use the old template without giving anything of his own. So the film ends up being the watered down version of the original!

Rating

2.5 stars