Aurangzeb

Year: 2013
Director: Atul Sabharwal
Cast: Arjun Kapoor, Prthiviraj, Rishi Kapoor, Jacky Shroff, Sasha Aga

A Yashraj film is an event by itself and always raises expectations. Before you start watching Aurangzeb, you wonder about its choice of title. What exactly is in store for you?

What’s the plot?

An unscrupulous top-level cop (Rishi Kapoor) is running a collection-syndicate in Gurgaon with the help of his nephew and son (Sikander Kher), who are also police officers. They are collecting bribes from the thriving builder lobby and hobnobbing with politicians to help them in their land-grab deals.

The odd one out in the family is the top cop’s brother (Anupam Kher), who is just a disgraced, retired police officer in his own son’s (Prithviraj) eyes. The disgruntled son learns from his dying father that he has a step-brother (Arjun Kapoor) and a step-mother (Tanvi Azmi) to find and defend.

The corrupt uncle sees an opportunity in this revelation and decides to use his brother’s ‘step-son’ as a lookalike replacement for a crime-lord-turned-top builder’s (Jacky Shroff) headstrong son. His plan is to plot the ex-don’s downfall to take over his business. The complex game is now on and it is going on at multiple levels. Where is it heading? How is it going to end?

What’s hot?

·         Rishi Kapoor is the real hero (I mean villain!) of the film. His portrayal of the mastermind corrupt cop is chilling.

·         Prthviraj delivers a measured performance as a simmering silent son.

·         Arjun Kapoor is impressive in his double role, where he manages to differentiate his two characters well. His scowling animal avatar is an Ishqzaade reprise but the softer emotional version is a welcome surprise.

·         The veterans – Jacky Shroff, Amrita Singh, Tanvi Azmi and Deepti Naval deliver good performances.

·         Corrupt cops, greedy builders and shameless politicians coming together to grab lands from poor farmers to raise malls and complexes, is not a novel theme but it makes an impact through contemporary and effective storytelling.

·         The Gurgaon setting is exploited well.

·         Well-paced narrative keeps you intrigued and interested.

·         The debutant director shows a good command on film-making, choosing underplay of emotions, rather than going overboard with melodrama.

What’s not?

·         Sabharwal’s story is too convoluted and wastes a lot of footage in multiple subplots and characters.

·         The climax drags on.

·         Sasha Aga shows a lot of skin but hardly any acting muscle!

Verdict

The title- Aurangzeb is used to signify a ruthless man ready to go to any extent to grab and retain power (just like the seventeen century Mughal emperor). Sabharwal uses that theme and also the 70s-80s motifs (lookalikes, family separation, complex father-son relationships) in contemporary context and in Gurgaon’s realistic setup. It is an interesting film but it could have been much better if it were not made too complicated with a surplus of subplots. As it turns out the title role belongs neither to Arjun Kapoor nor to Prithviraj, it is Rishi Kapoor, who delivers a cracking performance as the real Aurangzeb of the story!

Coming from a debutant writer-director, Aurangzeb is a promising effort, which is worth watching for many good performances.