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By Taran
Adarsh, June 29, 2007 - 12:41 IST
 Choosing an interesting story is difficult. But doing
justice to the story is nothing short of an
achievement. AWARAPAN, directed by Mohit Suri, gets it
right on both the levels -- on paper first, on
celluloid later.
For Hindi moviegoers, the story may remind you of
Rakesh Roshan's KOYLA [SRK, Madhuri, Amrish Puri], but
in actuality, AWARAPAN borrows from director Kim
Ji-woon's Korean film A BITTERSWEET LIFE [2005; Korean
title: DALKOMHAN INSAENG; starring Lee Byung-Hun, Kim
Young-Cheol, Shin Mina]. Nothing wrong with being
inspired, since every director has his way of
interpreting a story. Also, Mohit adapts the content
to suit Indian sensibilities.
AWARAPAN is as raw as a gash inflicted by a rod. A
number of Hindi films have plunged into the underbelly
of the underworld/mafia in the past, so how different
is AWARAPAN from films of its ilk? AWARAPAN packs in
all this and something extra in those 2 hours -- a
love story and spirituality.
Write your own movie review of Awarapan
More than anything else, AWARAPAN marks the coming of
age of one of the most under-rated actors on this side
of the Atlantic -- Emraan Hashmi. Shunning and
discarding his by-now-famous casanova image, Emraan
enacts a role that every actor craves for in his heart
since the opportunities are limited in the masala
set-up. And the youngster interprets it with aplomb.
To sum up, AWARAPAN has style and substance, both. The
film packs a solid punch in those 12 reels.
AWARAPAN is the story of man called Shivam [Emraan
Hashmi], who searches for joy but finds pain and
loneliness. It is the journey of a heartbroken lover
who, in order to escape from the ghosts of his tragic
past, dedicates himself to serve his gangster boss
Malik [Ashutosh Rana], who runs a chain of hotels in
Hong Kong.
 One day, Malik asks Shivam to do an unusual job for
him. He asks him to keep an eye on his young mistress
Reema [Mrinalini Sharma] while he is away on a brief
business trip. Reema is a young Pakistani girl who is
a victim of human trafficking. Malik had 'bought' her
in the flesh market in Bangkok.
The brief is clear: If Reema is found cheating behind
Malik's back, Shivam has to eliminate her. From the
moment Shivam sets his eyes on Reema, his frozen past
begins to raise its head. He is reminded of his lost
love [Shriya Saran] and how he had failed to save it
from a catastrophe.
And then one night Shivam is shocked to discover that
the innocent looking Reema has a secret boyfriend [Rehaan
Khan], whom she has tucked away and is planning to run
away with. Does Shivam remain loyal to Malik and
execute his orders or does he take on his wrath by
daring to go against him?
Frankly, you need to have a strong stomach to absorb a
film like AWARAPAN. The film is dark, serious and
violent. The romance, therefore, is minimal, but
whenever injected in the plotline acts as a coolant.
Director Mohit Suri continues to grow as a
storyteller. Note the sequence when Shriya's father
catches Shriya and Emraan red-handed and the
confrontation that ensues, leaving Emraan's life
devastated. Note another sequence: Emraan walking up
to Ashutosh Rana and after a verbal duel, fires at him
from point-blank range. There're more sequences that
only illustrate the fact that Mohit is amongst the
finest storytellers today.
But, on the flip side, the excessive violence can be
off-putting for a section of viewers. Emraan being
buried alive or the constant gunshots and gore can
compel you to take your eyes off the screen. This film
is definitely not for the faint-hearted.
Pritam's musical score is refreshing. The tunes are
fresh and so are the voices. Cinematography [Raaj
Chakravarti] is good, although a few sequences
could've been better lit in some scenes. The
background score [Raju Singh] is excellent. Dialogues
are a highpoint. The dialogue between Ashutosh Rana
and Mrinalini, drawing parallels with a sick puppy, is
superb.
As mentioned at the outset, Emraan delivers a
magnificent performance. When the year draws to a
close and the 'Best Actor' nominations are being
formalized, including this performance would only be
appreciating and acknowledging qualitative work.
 Ashutosh Rana is splendid and all you want to ask the
actor is, aap kahan thhe itne mahine? Shriya Saran has
a small role, but she sparkles every time she appears
on screen. Mrinalini is a talent to watch out for.
She's outstanding!
Purab Kohli is superb as the eccentric nephew of
Ashutosh Rana. Ashish Vidyarthi is wasted. Salil
Acharya is a welcome addition to the list of talented
actors. Shaad [introduced in WOH LAMHE] is very good.
Rehaan Khan [introduced in JAANA] is hardly there.
Atul Parchure is nice.
On the whole, AWARAPAN is a well-made product that
should appeal to its target audience -- the youth,
especially those who appreciate genuinely hatke
themes. At the box-office, the film will be affected
due to multiple releases in a week. Releasing the film
in an open week, without oppositions, would've only
helped. However, AWARAPAN should grow with a strong
word of mouth.
Rating:- * * * 1/2
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