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By Taran
Adarsh, June 29, 2007 - 12:38 IST
 With SHRADDHANJALI, his directorial debut, Anil Sharma
proved that he could make you moist-eyed. With HUKUMAT,
he proved that he could pull off a vendetta fare with
gusto. With GADAR, he proved he could handle a love
story with two neighboring countries as the backdrop
with remarkable ease.
APNE, his new endeavor, is all about familial bonding.
In a way, the storyteller goes back to his roots in
his new outing -- emotions.
APNE casts a father [Dharmendra] and his two real-life
sons [Sunny, Bobby] in roles that suit their
personalities. Besides, the backdrop of boxing makes
the conflict in the story look convincing.
APNE is rich in emotions and a number of sequences,
especially those between Dharmendra and Sunny, are
electrifying. Also, the boxing matches [Chris
Anderson] are pulse-pounding and you clench your fists
tightly due to the tension that's depicted on screen.
But APNE has its share of shortcomings as well.
Ideally, the film should've had a concise format of
2.15 hours, instead of 2.54 hours. Besides, the
screenplay, although tight at most times, succumbs to
mediocrity at places. Music too is another aspect that
should've had a lingering effect, since it's not
everyday that the three Deols come together.
To sum up, APNE is desi at heart and holds appeal for
those who swear by desi flicks. A worthy effort
nonetheless!
 Baldev Singh Choudhary [Dharmendra] won a silver medal
in the Olympics and made India proud. His only dream
was to make history by becoming India's first World
Heavyweight Boxing Champion. But sometimes dreams get
shattered before they can be realized.
When in the U.S., fighting for the World Heavyweight
Championship, the betting mafia conspires against him
and gets doping charges leveled against him, which
gets him banned from boxing.
For an athlete nothing can be worse than doping
charges. Baldev wants to get rid of this stigma and
pain by training his elder son Angad [Sunny Deol] in
the sport of boxing and make him a World Heavyweight
Champion and create history which eluded him.
But Angad has some other dreams, other aspirations,
other commitments… Karan [Bobby Deol], the younger
son, a musician, in spite of wanting to fulfill his
father's dreams, is helpless. But the story takes a
turn when Karan decides to live his father's dream.
The situation spirals out of hand subsequently…
APNE grips you gradually. Anil Sharma and writer
Neeraj Pathak open the cards at the very outset. The
uneasy relationship shared by the father and son [Dharmendra,
Sunny], Dharmendra's failed ambition, the turning
point in the tale [when Bobby steps in to fulfill his
father's dreams] make the goings-on watchable. The
narrative only gets absorbing when the focus shifts to
the boxing ring and the opponent [Luca] steps into the
picture.
But there's a flip side too. The choreography of these
sequences [in the boxing ring] is so real that it can
be off-putting as well, especially for the
faint-hearted. Also, the climax is well crafted, but,
ideally, it should've ended when Sunny overpowers the
opponent. The subsequent portions [Bobby's liver
problem] only add to the excessive length.
Director Anil Sharma handles the emotional sequences
brilliantly. In fact, a number of scenes bear the
stamp of a solid storyteller. The screenplay [Neeraj
Pathak] is taut, except for a few loose ends. Himesh
Reshammiya's music is a complete letdown. Barring the
title track, the remaining songs are uninspiring.
Kabir Lal's cinematography is topnotch. The lush green
fields and locales of North India give the film a rich
texture.
 APNE belongs to Dharmendra. No two opinions on that.
The veteran roars like never before and proves yet
again that he's a magnificent actor. Sunny is
first-rate. Bobby is alright, but the one complaint
that you hold against him is, why didn't he work on
his physique when he accepted this role? If he's
playing a boxer, he can't afford to show his flabby
chest and stomach.
The leading ladies don't have much to do. Shilpa at
least gets a few scenes, while Katrina is there to
flutter her eyelashes only. Kirron Kher is superb yet
again. In fact, she has a far meatier role than the
two ladies. Divya Dutta is wasted. Victor Banerjee is
natural. Jawed Sheikh gets minimal scope. Aryan Vaid
is alright. Luca is excellent.
On the whole, APNE is rich in emotions and has the
potential to strike a chord with families. Those who
love emotional fares are bound to take a liking for
its theme. At the box-office, it has the power to grow
with a strong word of mouth. Business in North India
will be the best. However, trimming the film will only
elevate its status.
Rating:- * * * 1/2
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