By:
Taran
Adarsh,
IndiaFM
Friday,
June
29,
2007
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
[Shahrukh
Khan,
Madhuri
Dixit,
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.
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
[Shreya
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.
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