The
crime
thriller
sagas
have
been
one
of
the
favourite
subjects
of
many
Bollywood
filmmakers
for
decades
now.
Reliving
the
same
genre,
director
Kabeer
Kaushik
has
come
up
with
his
latest
release
Maximum,
featuring
Sonu
Sood,
Naseeruddin
Shah,
Amit
Sadh
and
Neha
Dhupia.
The
film
is
set
in
the
Bombay
(and
not
Mumbai)
of
the
past
and
the
story
portrays
encapsulates
politics,
land
deals,
and
fake
encounters.
But,
to
one's
expectation,
the
film
fails
to
deliver
the
MAXIMUM
as
the
title
promises.
Story:
The
story
of
Maximum
goes
back
to
2003,
where
the
local
police
had
declared
a
war
against
the
underworld.
Two
brave
officers
Pratap
Pandit
(Sonu
Sood)
and
Arun
Inaamdar
(Naseeruddin
Shah)
have
been
given
the
responsibility
to
root
out
the
wrong-doers.
The
story
is
majorly
based
on
the
two
cops,
one
journey
and
a
struggle
for
'maximum'
power.
But
they
are
not
alone
in
this
game,
there
are
other
players
as
well.
The
conspirators
moving
at
every
level.
Taking
the
dream
through
layers
of
emotions
and
betrayals
to
an
unpredictable
climax.
While
Pandit
(Sonu
Sood)
is
ambitious,
Inaamdar
(Naseeruddin)
is
shown
conniving
and
silent.
Maximum
lacks
the
vivid
detailing
and
the
plot
badly
lacks
meat.
The
film
is
based
on
two
Mumbai
encounter
cops,
who
are
locked
in
a
bitter
and
eventually
self-defeating
turf
war.
But,
to
one's
surprise
there
isn't
much
dramatic
conflict
between
the
duo.
What's
more
disappointing
is
that
the
film
at
times
leaves
you
clueless
as
in
what's
actually
going
on.
Performance:
Talking
about
the
performances,
Sonu
Sood
is
an
encounter
cop
of
few
words
and
many
bullets.
He's
the
blue-eyed
boy
of
the
Establishment.
A
man
with
all
the
greys
and
all
the
power.
Sonu
has
an
impressive
screen
presence,
but
fails
to
prove
himself
due
to
weak
plot.
Naseeruddin
in
his
element
is
an
experience
that
needs
no
definition.
Naseer
is
just
dynamic.
No
wonder
Shah
just
steals
the
show
with
his
power
pack
performance.
Neha
Dhupia,
who
is
playing
the
role
of
Pandit's
wife,
is
subsequently
killed
by
his
rivals
in
the
climax.
She
looks
lovely
and
more
appealing
in
traditional,
sari
avatar,
rather
than
her
bikini
look.
Vinay
Pathak
plays
Tiwari,
an
Uttar-Bharatiya
neta,
looks
convincing
as
the
politician.
Amit
Sadh
as
a
reporter
is
decent
in
his
role.
Music:
The
music
is
given
by
Amjad-Nadeem
and
the
lyrics
are
penned
by
Shabbir
Ahmed.
One
notable
thing
in
the
movie
is
Hazel
Keech's
popular
item
number
'Aa
ante
Amalapuram'.
Despite
Hazel
Keech's
minimal
clothing,
the
item
number
fails
to
impress
since
it's
distracting
when
you
can't
understand
the
words.
Verdict:
On
the
whole,
the
film
certainly
doesn't
make
any
sense
and
fails
to
deliver
the
MAXIMUM.
Story first published: Friday, June 29, 2012, 14:09 [IST]