Nana did great job as well as other actors director and story writers were same i guess but script was also written good nice dialogue delivery but somewhere in the direction movie felt dramatic even though deserves one watch
... View MoreTigmanshu Dhulia is a hit or miss director with his cult classics like Haasil, Paan Singh Tomar & Saheb Biwi & Gangster cementing his place as best directors of bollywood while his Charas ,Bullet Raja often counted as a miss.Shaghird is categorised in the later but I believe it to be a movie which is hugely underrated.A cop in bollywood movies is often depicted in a stereotypical manner a dishonest cop will be corrupt,selfish & stupid , while an honest cop will be courageous & intelligent.This is also valid for politicians etc.,the anti hero or a complex character is seldom shown. Hence police corruption is seldom shown in its true form, I believe Shagird is an exception & so is the Protagonist SI Hanumant Singh & likewise his Shagird SI Mohit.The opening scene is a revelation which shows 2 cops of Crime Branch extorting money from a businessmen.The police corruption in all its form is shown in the movie along with the Politician-Police-Gangster nexus & its depth in the system.Hanumant Singh is a crooked encounter specialist who works for a powerful politician & does his dirty work in exchange of the protection offered to him.He knows every written & unwritten rule in the book as well as knows how to break them for his good.Hence he acts as a extortioner,kidnapper,hired gun in his pursuit of money.He knows the limits of his relationship & hence is planning an escape from India but only blackmailing his boss the politician for the needed money by a threat of exposing his nexus with the criminal named Banty Bhaiya.Amazingly as most of the characters in the movie who are conned or harmed by Hanumant are bad themselves we identify with the character,also due to his dedication to family & his manners.His Shagird a new SI in the CB is equally smart but is also ethically sound which result in some witty dialogues delivered masterly by Nana Patekar who like Ab Tak Chappan is in tremendous form & fits right in,unlike Ab Tak Chapan, Hanumant Singh is more funny as well as more diplomatic. The subtle difference in the body language is absolute brilliance.The final twist is that like a true disciple SI Mohit turns out to be corrupt himself waiting for a bigger opportunity & hence he cracks a deal with the politician & story unfolds.A must watch for brilliant dialogues, fast paced storytelling & moreover as a relevant commentary on police corruption in India.A thoroughly entertaining & interesting view. PS it is only inspired from training day & not a usual bollywood copy.
... View MoreTigmanshu Dhulia is one of my favourite directors, but I have always wondered why his films manage to get a very low profile release even after his established status of a talented director? Anyway looking at the promos of SHAGIRD, I was not convinced much as the film just looked like a sequel to AB TAK CHHAPPAN with Nana Patekar doing a similar kind of role of an encounter specialist. And after watching it I was proved right as the film exactly walks on the similar lines with only the underworld mafia being replaced by the political dons and some more corrupt officials within the police force.Usually Tigmanshu always comes up with a novel concept as in HAASIL, CHARAS and the forthcoming PAAN SINGH TOMAR. But for some unknown reasons he adapts an already very well exploited theme of Police- Underworld–Politicians nexus in SHAGIRD which was quite strange looking at his track record. May be he was too confident of the unexpected twists and turns in the script to get him some favorable results. But unfortunately, all those shocks about the hidden characterizations come too late in the narration and therefore fail to work in a big way.The first half of the film is fine but very similar to the one seen in ATC. In the same manner Nana is a famous rude cop who shoots before anybody speaks and his team has a fresh entrant as Mohit who has just joined the police force. As seen in ATC, Mohit too is afraid of killing a criminal for no reason at all in a fake encounter, which he later learns along with the changing circumstances. The movie takes a fresh turn when three journalists are kidnapped by some terrorists groups to get their demands fulfilled. But this kidnapping sequence only becomes the weakest part of the film as the real brain behind the plan and its hidden purpose all remain pretty confused in the script.Post intermission there are more shocking turns in the script which keep the viewers engrossed. But as I felt the twists come up rather too late in the script, which make the movie a bit longer than actually required. Moreover, the sudden weird kind of climax also leaves the viewer in a questioning state which is not at all a good sign for the commercial prospect of the movie. The abrupt change of characters in the script sometimes looks like overdone when we see no feeling of respect or regards in any character for his colleagues or friends.So if you are already a fan of the brilliant work by Shimit Amin and Nana Patekar together in AB TAK CHHAPPAN (which is also there in my 'Movies To See Before You Die' list), then SHAGIRD will not be that exciting for you since it's a mere extension of the same plot. But in case you haven't seen ATC then SHAGIRD may impress you a lot with its smart execution and fast pace. Basically SHAGIRD leaves a mark mainly because of the fabulous witty one liners spoken in his own unique style by Nana Patekar and a brilliant sensible cast brought together by the director and his team.No doubt Nana leads the film perfectly as usual, but it's actually all the supporting actors who all together give you an enjoyable time in the theater, provided you love the genre of hard-hitting political crime thrillers. Zakir Hussain as the Party leader is outstanding along with Mohit Ahlawat who is surprisingly good. Rimi Sen is just OK in her awkward wardrobe for a reporter's character. But the subplot of Mohit and Rimi's romance simply falls flat and irritates. As a bonus feature you get to see Anurag Kashyap, the director in the role of Bunty bhaiya, who is fine but nothing exceptional. The Cinematography in this song less film, needs a special mention here particularly for its opening shoot out sequence in the narrow lanes of Delhi-6.In all, SHAGIRD is a good one time watch, especially if you are a fan of Nana Patekar. But I was expecting a lot more from the combo of Nana and Tigmanshu. In fact, I found this as the director's least worked upon project till date. The film leaves you with a mixed kind of impact in the end and would appeal to only a limited section of the viewers. It's like a sequel of AB TAK CHHAPPAN but lacks the finesse and polish of Shimin's worth watching gem.
... View MoreThis movie desperately tries to be "Ab Tak Chhappan" but fails miserably. Nana is brilliant as can be expected. But Mohit still remains a non-actor. The movie fails because of a convoluted script which tries to be smart & because of a totally inept & incompetent director trying to helm things which certainly seem to be out of his forte (whatever that might be). I had hoped this one would be at least enjoyable than the usual Bollywood trash (with Ranbir's Shahids Imrans Akshays, Salmans SRKs et al) but I was severely disappointed. I can now gleefully strike off the director from my "looking-forward-to" list.If you want to watch Nana at his 'cop best', watch Ab Tak Chhappan - good lil movie with a decent script. Avoid Shagird.
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