<i>Alag</i> is <i>Alag</i>

By: Taran Adarsh, IndiaFM

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Hatke is a much abused word in Bollywood dictionary. In fact, almost every producer loves to claim that his film is genuinely hatke or alag from the run of the mill masala entertainers being churned out with amazing regularity. But ace lensman Subi Samuel's feature film debut Alag, directed by Ashu Trikha, is definitely alag from the movies we've witnessed so far.

So what's so alag about Alag, did you ask? Plenty of things...

• Storyline: The film has an offbeat, never-seen-before plot. It tells the story of a boy gifted with exceptionally high intelligence, telekenesis and electrical powers. He's not the boy next door who transforms into a Superman to weed out corruption or save damsels in distress. Here's a boy trapped in extra-ordinary circumstances.
• Performance: The main role, essayed by Akshay Kapoor [who made his debut in Popcorn Khao Mast Ho Jao], is an eye-opener. We've had actors going that extra mile to work on their roles. Akshay did that as well, but also worked on his look. He went bald for the part and also removed hair from his eyebrows, chest and hands to look the character. But more than anything else, what stays with you after the film is over is a fascinating performance from a one-film-old newcomer.
• Direction: Deewanapan and Sheesha were decent products, but watch director Ashu Trikha take strides with Alag. His handling of a couple of scenes hits you harder than the lightening in the film. Not just the concept, even the climax of the film is novel and highly unconventional. The special effects are topnotch.

All that Alag needs is proper hype, media blitzkrieg and the right marketing strategies.

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