'Zanjeer' - At Last, A Big B Remake That Gets It Right

Lakhia paces the proceedings as a rush-hour traffic of bustling events. No one has the luxury to stop and think as the narration gathers up a storm of pulpy conflicts building up to an exceptionally staged climax filmed amidst the volatile proceedings of a crowded Moharram event.

From the Ganpati Viasarjan to the Moharram, Lakhia's interpretation of "Zanjeer" traverses a mammoth canvas of rapid-fire images. Gururaj Jois's camera moves dexterously, but never to divert our attention from the central conflict. And Chintan Gandhi's dialogues use one-liners judiciously, never over-doing the smart-alec retorts.

The film's action, by Javed-Ejaz, feels and looks right. The attention paid to getting the action sequences right is highly commendable. There is an elaborately staged multiple-explosion sequence in a huge Dharavi-like slum which belongs to a Vin Diesel-starrer.

Sanjay Dutt steps splendidly into Pran's part. His sequences, though limited by the actor's physical unavailability, show the sensitive side to his aggressive personality. The bonding between Ram Charan and Dutt comes across as effectively as the one between Ram Charan and Priyanka and Prakash Raj and Mahie Gill.

And the momentum never slackens.

Fast-paced, and forever furious, "Zanjeer" also finds space to be excruciatingly funny. In fact, the whole villain-vamp equation between Teja (Prakash Raj) and Mona Darling (Mahie Gill) is here subverted to a kind of comic coitus interruptus where Prakash Raj repeatedly keeps talking about sex without getting down to it while 'Mona' Mahie Gill purrs and moans and pouts -- not out of passion but for just the opposite reasons.

The most tongue-in-cheek homage I've seen in a remake occurs in this film when we see the new Teja-Mona pair watching actor Ajit and Bindu in the original "Zanjeer" on a DVD. The sequence is irreverent without appearing to belittle the original. It reminds us of the renewed cycle of art and individual talent.

Throughout the film, we sense the director's immense affection for the original "Zanjeer", a reverence that never clouds his judgement.

This is one remake that stands tall and lithe. It is manned by a manful supply of action and yet manages to keep the machismo understated. Breakneck-paced, adrenaline-pumping, pulse-pounding -- Lakhia's deconstructed version of the Prakash Mehra film is a full-on pacy paisa-vasool entertainer with brio and balls.

Ram Charan Teja makes an impressive Bollywood debut. We can safely say he is the man among the boys.

Go for it!

Also Read: The Highest Paid Hollywood Actresses

Also Read: Romantic Bollywood Songs with Icy Mountains in the Backdrop