Zanjeer
wogma rating: Watch if you have nothing better to do (?)
yeah-yeah-yeah-whatever...
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Zanjeer - Preview
Zanjeer (1973) might have been one of the early films with an honest but angry cop taking on the corrupt, rotting system. These days we have maybe one a year, if not more. Almost every "star" has one such role to his name. I'd say we have saturated this theme unless there is a truly novel way of putting it forth. In that sense, I am glad it is not a "Bollywood Star" starring in this one.
From the trailers, doesn't look like this year's Zanjeer is the one to do it. If at all, it has all the elements of a film from 40 years ago! The only change seems to be that it is completely stripped of its simplicity, which I assume is the maker's excuse to adapt to the needs of the day.
Not that I don't like a slick film with a contemporary texture but if that means a roadside hawker from the older film is changed to a swanky, NRI woman, it kills the mood of the original film. Not to mention Priyanka Chopra looks like she's playing a dumb character who will hardly make a contribution to the larger scheme of things - except adding to the number of songs, a rather disgusting one at that.
So, the only character that stays interesting is that of Sher Khan played here by Sanjay Dutt. Maybe he'll have something that'll make the film worth it. At least, in comparison to the other songs, the 'yaari hai imaan' substitute is a tad better than the rest.
Yari hai imaan substitute - www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3y66bW4Feg
Music Reviews:
Bollywood Hungama - "2.5/5"
IBN Live, IANS - "3/5"
Milliblog - "Zanjeer’s soundtrack is broken"
- meeta, a part of the audience
Why are remakes made, again? I'd think it's because the makers felt there was some great value addition they thought they could make which the original badly needed. Other than the fact, of course, that they didn't have anything original to make. But, I refuse to believe that the makers of this remake of Zanjeer didn't know they were taking away from an already not-so-great film.
Are they so smug to not realise that a two-expression Ram Charan taking the place of Amitabh Bachchan is many huge steps behind to start of with? Are they so blind to not see the disservice to films from the 70s by having a over-bearingly peppy, supposedly dumb Mala (Priyanka Chopra) replace a simple and sensitive Mala (Jaya Bachchan)?
The original had this nice combination of angst and sensitivity between Vijay and Mala. It wasn't explored too well there too, but here it is completely ignored. This takes away a huge chunk of the meat that the plot had.
I guess the only positive contribution by this Zanjeer is that the woman gets invited to the birthday party! You see, Mala was left out of Sher Khan's birthday party in 1973. Come 2013, she gets to look pretty in white and shake a leg too!
Priyanka Chopra, like I mentioned earlier, plays a very perky Mala. We can't really fault her if the script used her like comic relief. That besides, Ram Charan tries too hard to look intense and Sanjay Dutt looks like he was forced to play Sher Khan. There is a slur in his movements in the fight scenes and in his speech when he speaks.
A couple of other things make things even worse - the dialogue and the music. You don't know what is worse - the iconic original lines that are retained or the new lame lines. A few more moments of disbelief - how could they not know that 'jab tak baithne ki ijaazat...' by anyone but Amitabh Bachchan or 'Sher Khan beimaani ka kaam bhi...' by anyone but Pran is epic fail?
The songs are more or less annoying. My take on item number is no secret. Not only are they aesthetically displeasing and condescending to me as an audience, but the manner in which they break the flow of the story is the most irritating bit of them all. Here you have two songs that can fit that bill.
Zanjeer also has a ridiculous background score. At first when, 'raghupati raghav...' played during a fight sequence, I wondered if the projectionist goofed up and turned on Satyagraha's soundtrack. Unfortunately, not. And the background track repeated almost every time Vijay has a fight sequence. Oh well...
I understand that even if you had nothing better to do, you'd be better off watching the Zanjeer from 1973, this one cannot be completely written off - maybe just because I have seen worse, and await much worse.
- meeta, a part of the audience
Thumbs up, by Subhash K Jha, NDTV : ...Throughout the film, we sense the director's immense affection for the original Zanjeer, a reverence that never clouds his judgement.... full review
Thumbs up, by K N Gupta, SmasHits.com : ...Overall, 'Zanjeer' is indeed a good remake.... full review
So-So, by Taran Adarsh, Bollywood Hungama : ...As for the comparisons with the original ZANJEER, I suggest try not to get there! ... full review
So-So, by Tushar Joshi, DNA : ...Zanjeer doesn’t hold a candle to the original, instead it feels like a modern day adaptation of a yet another cop drama. ... full review
So-So, by Zanjeer Nupur Barua , Fully Hyderabad : ... Watch it - you may have some fun. ... full review
So-So, by Jaidev Hemmady, Movie Talkies : ...Though the remake sticks to the original story as far as the main plot is concerned, the new Zanjeer is not as impressive as the 70s blockbuster... full review
So-So, by Moumita Bhattacharjee, Star Blockbuster : ... I would rather watch Bachchan mouthing “Jab tak baithne ko naa kaha jaye, sharafat se khade raho” 20 times over... full review
So-So, by Meena Iyer, Times of India : ...Ram Charan, as the brooding policeman, excels in action. His dark eyes with long lashes adeptly convey anger. Sanjay Dutt is competent and lovable. Priyanka looks smashing but is overzealous in the American Born Desi Gujarati Girl act... full review
Thumbs down, by Anna MM Vetticad, annavetticadgoes2themovies : ...new Zanjeer is dated and dull.... full review
Thumbs down, by Baradwaj Rangan, Blogical Conclusion, The New Sunday Express : ... The only anger in this Zanjeer comes from the audience.... full review
Thumbs down, by Githa Vanan, Bolly Spice : ...Final call for Zanjeer boils down to simple things. Noone could undo self inflicted shackles. And Sanjay Dutt is the savior among the slaughtered.... full review
Thumbs down, by Bhagyashri Pawar , Bollywood Life : ...While Priyanka is eye-candy worth looking at in Zanjeer 2.0, Telugu superstar Ram is quite disappointing, while Prakash Raj is the perfect villain... full review
Thumbs down, by Deepa Gahlot, cinemaah : ...The next time any filmmaker thinks of a remake, they must watch RGV Ki Aag and Apoorva Lakhia ki Zanjeer, and halt right in their tracks... full review
Thumbs down, by Mayank Shekhar , Daily Bhaskar : ...This is as much Zanjeer, the original, as Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag was Sholay, okay marginally less ridiculous as that, to be fair.... full review
Thumbs down, by Suparna Sharma, Deccan Chronicle : ...Apart from the sparkling dialogue stolen from the original, this Zanjeer makes do with functional ones that range from the crass (assigned to Prakash Raj) or plain idiotic (for Sanjay Dutt) to baffling (assigned to Priyanka)... full review
Thumbs down, by Nikhil Arora, Desi Martini : ...Zanjeer is a well-paced masala remake but a lukewarm debut for Ram Charan which doesn't match up to the intensity of the original film. None of the performances ring true, apart from Sanjay Dutt's strong acting. Skip it. ... full review
Thumbs down, by Rachit Gupta, Filmfare : ...Apoorva Lakhia’s movie loves to borrow. It takes the legacy of Prakash Mehra’s original but it also slavishly scrounges scenes from Hollywood movies like The Artist, True Lies and many more... full review
Thumbs down, by Suprateek Chatterjee, FirstPost : ...This Zanjeer, directed by Apoorva Lakhia, is a disaster... full review
Thumbs down, by Johnson Thomas, Free Press Journal : ...Apoorva Lakhia’s new-fangled take on the 70’s super-hit, Prakash Mehra helmed Amitabh Bachchan starrer, ‘Zanjeer’ is sorely disappointing... full review
Thumbs down, by Martin D'Souza, Glamsham.com : ...Sad movie, sadder performances!... full review
Thumbs down, by Rajeev Masand, IBN Live : ... If the new 'Zanjeer' was merely a badly made film, you could dismiss the makers as talentless brats... full review
Thumbs down, by Vinayak Chakravorty, india today : ...Like its hero on screen, the film too has no reason to exist. ... full review
Thumbs down, by Shubhra Gupta , indian express : ...And then you watch this new Zanjeer and you get started with the whys. ... full review
Thumbs down, by Mohar Basu, koimoi : ...Watch it only if you are inclined to revisit the stories of 70s when commercial cinema wasn’t synonymous with making similarly lazy films with minimal creative offering... full review
Thumbs down, by Nandini Ramnath , Live Mint : ...Ram Charan, a hunk of epilated flesh with scant acting skills, steps into Bachchan’s boots as the police officer. Sher Khan, played by an exhausted-looking Sanjay Dutt who struggles to move, let alone fit into Pran’s very large shoes. The Jaya Bachchan role is performed by Priyanka Chopra as an overgrown adolescent... full review
Thumbs down, by Shubha Shetty-Saha, MiD DAY : ...Director Apoorva Lakhia uses his special talent to make this remake as crass as possible, turning it into a pedestrian, B-grade version of the original classic... full review
Thumbs down, by Divya Solgama, MoviezADDA : ...Dum? Well except few action scenes there is absolutely no dum in this weak and boring remake of the classic cult film... full review
Thumbs down, by Karan Anshuman, Mumbai Mirror : ... "It is better to fail at originality than to succeed in imitation." Zanjeer manages neither.... full review
Thumbs down, by Mansha Rastogi, Now Running.com : ...To sum it up, the new-age Zanjeer doesn't hold half as much promise as the cult classic did and literally falls flat on its face... full review
Thumbs down, by Ankit Ojha , Planet Bollywood : ...The writer of this article hears this version of Zanjeer has been dubbed in Chinese, and sincerely prays for the lives of the people entering the cinema expecting a good film.... full review
Thumbs down, by Raja Sen , Rediff : ...Apoorva Lakhia's Zanjeer is an unwarranted, atrocious remake... full review
Thumbs down, by Sonia Chopra, Sify Movies : ...It might still be entertaining to a section of the audience. Let your sensibility decide. ... full review
Thumbs down, by Anuj Kumar, The Hindu : ...Lakhia is known to give his films a sleek feel, but that’s about it. He would have been better placed had he lifted the elements like many of his predecessors for then he would not have spoiled our memories of the original... full review
Thumbs down, by rajesh, Upper Stall : ...NewZanjeer4U I’m tired of doing the same role all the time. I want to do something different! Something intense, real, critic-friendly, +ve. ... full review
Thumbs down, by Aparna Mudi, Zee News : ...The movie was a disappointment through and through, and Apoorva Lakhia truly breaks hearts having remade a movie that remodelled Amitabh’s career and shot him to super stardom. Lakhia fails pretty badly to step into Prakash Mehra’s shoes.... full review
VirozneenPatel: Watched #Zanjeer Today, Nice Action movie, #RamCharanTeja @priyankachopra @duttsanjay & Mahie Gill Rocks :)
vimmi2356: Zanjeer is fast paced action packed and totally entertaining....Ram Charan is pretty amazing and Priyanka a breath of fresh air..
VickneshRai: Zanjeer is an amazing movie. Not the usual boring police "masala" film with tacky item numbers. Ram Charan and @priyankachopra, WEEHOO!
Tusshharkabra: #Zanjeer Mind blowing Movie Action Pack 5 star's To It
SwastikBipuls: Charan's power-packed action & PC's presence has made #Zanjeer worthy to watch,if you won't you will miss a exciting film
sushantvo1d: Watched Zanjeer today and loved it's pace,action and performances.. @priyankachopra
snasrinneha: Watched #Zanjeer after studying couldn't watch in threaters ! But was an awesome movie @priyankachopra PC u were just OSM ! :]
Sirisha_25: Just now watched #RamCharan @apoorvalakhia @priyankaChopra 's #Zanjeer it's truly an awesome movie
Sethumadhavan: Adore aka Perfect Mothers-on the same day that I watch a dud like #Zanjeer I also watch this lovely little film.
Sarzzzz18: #ZANJEER WAS SOO AMAZINGGGGG OMG!!!!! Loved every second! @priyankachopra @ApoorvaLakhia by far BEST @SrBachchan remake ever! @TeamPriyanka
sambaig157: ZANJEER WAS NICE . I LOVED IT . <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 #BOLLYWOODFOREVER
Reb_Valentine: #zanjeer s definitely a gud mve.. Definitely worth a watch! Woteva myt b d results, Ram Charan rokkkzzzzzdddd..
RashmitaHmct: #zanjeer with lots of mashala and PC acting is just wow
pa1preetham: For those people who are screwed by diff reviews woundering weather to Go or not... #zanjeer is a must watch film. hell with the critics
MuskanHanda: Sisters Rocked! in #ShudhDesiRomance and in #Zanjeer @priyankachopra and @ParineetiChopra Congrats cuz just because of u the movie is hit
mubinarattonsey: What's ur pick film wise today? Watched Zanjeer on Thurs nite and loved it's pace,action and performances!Will watch SDR today.
MissMarpleJr: Whatever. Almost loved Zanjeer and Ram Charan. He is too good as always. Stole the show.
jax2431: #Zanjeer fab movie and a perfect remake ! Its the best remake made yet ! 4 stars #priyaka chopra u wer js amazing
ishaan254: Zanjeer is an awesome picture i like it very much with the new hero RAM CHARAN
GDPAdil: Zanjeer and Shuddh Desi Romance both are awesome movies.. #Watched few hour back <3 #PCZanjeer and #PCShuddhDesiRomance
basharatSAYS: #Zanjeer was much much better than #Thoofan Welcome to Bollywood #RamCharan !! Awesome Performance in a debut!
Arjuncapone: #Zanjeer has a very strong positive word of mouth. Picked up all over India
AnkBhatia: Watched #zanjeer the 6th time! @ApoorvaLakhia rocks! Period. #RamCharan #PriyankaChopra #thoofan #ZanjeerTheFilm #zanjeerthisfriday
Always_pasha: #zanjeer power packed mOvie.......\m/
Adityasuryavan7: zanjeer awsum movie mst watch
actormalavika: Saw #Zanjeer! Quite liked it. @ramcharanteja is super hot!!
abpardhe: #ZANJEER.......#ZANJEER.......#ZANJEER...... AWSOME ......AWSOME...........AWSOME...... #RAMCHARAN #CHERRY ROCKS AGAIN......
abhishek2765989: watched just nw zanjeer its awesom and action entertainer
1mgupta: MY review of #Zanjeer ..superb, mind-blowing..action packed..talented actors..MUST WATCH !! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHNnBvC8_vs
talktosanjiv: #Zanjeer is not as bad as few of d critics r projectin it to be.its a strictly one time watch...
jas_canuck92: Overall #Zanjeer is not a film #RamCharan the south superstar should have done, its outdated, has nothing new, and has bad music. 2.25/5*
DizisSANDY: Watched #Zanjeer ... Not soo bad .. Average movie! 3/5 Charan acting was good!
B0MBAYCH0PRA: So, Try you go watch zanjeer wid zero in ur mind (pretend there is no zanjeer film before) then m sure u wont give da reviews like that!
vivekbhoothnath: Plz zanjeer kholo aur interval karo... By god.. Itni kharab film koi kaise bana sakta hai...
vineelgutta: When a Wooden Faced hero attempts to remake Amitabh's old classic #Zanjeer Then this is what happens #Disaster
VerifiedBeer: I heard that the only good thing about #Zanjeer was its name.
vdonga: #zanjeer... Can't get back the 140 min spent..
UmeSalmaa: Feeling Brave?? Go watch #Zanjeer :P
TweetZaade: Apoorva Lakhia ki Zanjeer remember Ram Gopal Verma ki Aag?
TheSambitRoy: #Zanjeer bad idea for the weekend!!!
Technoyl: Meanwhile, Govt. should declare #Zanjeer as national disaster :P
suraj_a: Watched #Zanjeer It does not hv the charm of @SrBachchan and definitely misses the presence of Praan Saab. Disappointment #noangryyoungman
sunkadam: I want a refund. @priyankachopra #Zanjeer
sss_twt: #Zanjeer failed me...expected a lot..#ram grow up
sonoritachauhan: This #Zanjeer is so bad it should be called rassi - and the cheap one you hang your washing on!
sjits: Rubbish....Zanjeer ....
siddharth_vin0d: #Zanjeer bakwaas + waste of time.worst movie of I've ever watched.
ShyLadka: Don't watch and waste money on movie - #Zanjeer and #ShudhDesiRomance
Shamila_360: Zanjeer is the worst remake I have ever seeen !!
Seoul_Ki_Soul: Who would ever imagine #Zanjeer getting a zero rating?!? Oh wait. Everyone xD #fail
scoop_india: 'Zanjeer' review: The film is a shameless exercise in laziness http://me2.do/5BPrW5N2
s_srikant: All time disasters ! #Thoofan and #Zanjeer
royalravi4: Zanjeer is a bakwas movie/i wasted my time
rounakdstar: #Zanjeer :a cheap spoof of original.. @Javedakhtarjadu :sir pls also file a case for murdering d original story along with steeling it.. ;-)
rkfanforever: #zanjeer is the worst remake ever
RazeenGutta: Feel like crying- Zanjeer isn't released anywhere in SA @CineCentre @numetro
rajesh_malpani: Zanjeer .. A disaster all the way ..makers should be banned for tampering the old classic .gud sanjay dutt is in jail and Pran in heaven ..
raghukiran1991: In #zanjeer hangover shit!! #zanjeerzerorating :@
Radhika_Khera: #Zanjeer would have been a much better movie if the seats weren't facing the screen.
Poongkundran_s: Hindi cinema was well on its path with the good films like #Lootera,#ShipOfTheseus,and yeah here they have got a crap. #Zanjeer.
Pandolindotcom: Zanjeer 2013 was as per my expectations- quite bad. http://pandolin.com/Movie-detail/zanjeer-movie-review/ https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=413581678745739&l=f2fe7bc781
npantham: If @SrBachchan watches #zanjeer he will definitely think the original one got spoofed...!!
naumaanshaikh: I don't kno y some idiots try 2 make a remake of some *ABB* filmms?? The director of *Zanjeer*dude you suck! Plz dnt do tat mistk again.:/
Mrinion: Zanjeer is SUCH a bad film! Soooo bad.
MdJunaid_MJ: zanjeer- a chain with weak links. the distributors have to pay hefty price
maresettypavan: : Zanjeer(old) story will not work even if it is made well in current scenario. Zanjeer is the first mistake committed by ramcharan in caree
LifeReminisce: #RamCharn's #Zanjeer is nothing but a crap movie they have made. Only actions scenes are good. Nobody can replace Amitabh.
kancharla_gopi: As expected #Zanjeer movie was utterflop in telugu...named it as #toofan in #telugu.
kaminaoftheyear: India is great.We are survivors.We have survived this year alone - landslides,rapes,a bad economy,Himmatwala & now #Zanjeer
jilaawatan: Finally!! That infamous phrase isn't "Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag" anymore.. It is "Apoorva Lakhia Ki Zanjeer" @RGVzoomin
JabTakHaiKhan: #Zanjeer was a masterpiece. Don't know whether it can be made even better or not. But one made was Pathethic #Fail
Itsmetinku: if u hav free tym juz go #SDR & avoid #Thoofan / #Zanjeer. the shittiest film dat u shud miss to see #SDR for the great entertainment.
Indian_Monk: Just watched Zanjeer. I think the luckiest man was that statutory warning guy who died just bfore movie starts." @JokesDostiEtc @Laugh_Riot
iamuttu: Not every #zanjeer can hold you. Sheer non-sense.
iamTanmayTiwari: Boo #Zanjeer
HeenaRandhawa: #AmITheOnlyOne who walked out of #Zanjeer? Terrible film.
harikrishpillai: So how many of you ran out of the theatre yelling Ram (tere) Charan kahaan hai... Pleading him to never do a #Bollywood movie again #Zanjeer
HanishaReddyK: To hell with the reviews of #Zanjeer... mad ppl, paid reviews to an extent of "calling zanjeer never a particularly great film"..
gk_s23: Breaking news -Theatre owners decide to shutdown screening Zanjeer and started selling anjeer and sales looks better
GhantaGuy: There are people who will watch the new 'Zanjeer'. A minute's silence for them.
getfilmy: So I guess it's fair to say that Zanjeer is definitely Ram Charan Ki Aag.
GaganSharma007: Bakwass Filmm #Zanjeer @priyankachopra
Er_vin_kumar: plz if you saw the original one then not gone to new #Zanjeer . its dispoint u
crthakkar: #AmITheOnlyOne who highly suggest to avoid #Zanjeer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLO926-t47s&feature=youtu.be
CricketICG: #Zanjeer' The film is a shameless exercise in laziness
chemingineer: Even the old Zanjeer wasn't all that great. Death rides a horse.
BwoodUncensored: Zanjeer (hindi version) is a "Disaster' similar to Himmatwala... might be even worser than that! .. feeling bad for my love PC
brijeshsai: Zanjeer is not an experiment..It is an exploitation on brand Zanjeer which fired back. RIP Greedy Pigs.
bollywoodblah: #india should put a #zanjeer on remakes...creativity lost
bhavin_ns: Zanjeer the movie - don't waste money
BeingShuvham: Can't believe @priyankachopra opted to act in a movie like #Zanjeer .. Ok it's not a tribute but a torture...
beast_1089: Another remake #Zanjeer which fails to do any justice to d original one,just cant understand y everyone wants to ruin these classic muvi's
BBoxoffice: Movie review: Zanjeer They shouldn't have messed with Zanjeer. Don was still understandable, Agneepath too.... https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=567262333310849&l=b81939009e
ayyagarin: On a day when RGV n Karan Johar were fighting about whos da master of disasters Apoorva Lakhia quietly takes over the position :)) #Zanjeer
avi2188: #Zanjeer BEWARE #pathetic
ashwin3086: #Zanjeer.. Crap!! Lack of better word!!
ashikvishnu: Unfortunate debut for ramcharan in bollywood..murder of a classic movie #Zanjeer
AppyOfficial: #Zanjeer : "Worst Movie Ever"
Amyth49: V wre just there almost abt to recover frm ur last disaster with pitbul n den u throw #zanjeer on us #help
amolpomane: After long time I watched a poor movie #zanjeer
alwayspalak: #Zanjeer kitni bokwaas picture banayi..lol..Priyanka's Ham skills touches new heights...disaster
akramreza14: #AmITheOnlyOne who is sayin #zanjeer is #BLOCKDISASTER
ajinky_kumthekr: Zanjeer is a totally disappointed film ever..!! Bad entry for ramcharan in bollywood!
aishrutendolkar: And we have yet another SUPER flop remake!! Zanjeer!! People should #stopmakingremakes of #hitmovies
2020Ravikumar: Old #Zanzeer was class New #Zanjeer is totally bakwas.. over acting by Priyanka chopra
This page has additional observations, other than the ones noted in the main review.
Parental Guidance:
- Violence: Loads of fist fights, gun fights and murders.
- Language: A few innuendoes and sexual jokes.
- Nudity & Sexual content: A mild making out scene. And references to sex.
- Concept: An angry cop takes on a dishonest business tycoon.
![[YouTube channel of Zanjeer]](/static/images/icons/youtube_small.png){kind=icon}
![[Wikipedia page of Zanjeer]](/static/images/icons/wiki_small.png){kind=icon}
![[IMDB Page of Zanjeer]](/static/images/icons/imdb_small.png){kind=icon}
![[Apoorva Lakhia twitter account]](/static/images/icons/twitter_small.png){kind=icon}
Comments (9)
Hi Meetu
I'm back :)
Interesting review.. I haven't watched the movie but I am tempted to comment mainly because you did what I hoped you wouldn't i.e. compare with the original, but you couldn't resist I presume.
Needless to say the original was excellent not only because of execution but because it was the first of its kind. I do however question if your assessment of Ram Charan's 2 expression face as you put it against presumably a multi-expression face of Amitabh is actually justified. Amitabh in the 1973 version also had no more than 3 expressions.. but it retains impact even today because of the nostalgia that surrounds it. Ofcourse given you are a fan of Amitabh Bachhan you may not see it the way I do.
your scores are as confusing as ever.. 0.5 for music director? 2 for story (because it was adapted from what you refer to as iconic?) but 1.5 for dialogues (despite retaining some?)..
While we are on the dialogues point - did you really think Pran's delivery of the beimaani dialogue or any other for that matter was good? the dialogue itself was good and more importantly original, definitely not the delivery.. or so I think!
Clearly you didn't like the film but you seem to also hate it for reasons that don't to me seem logical, and that comes across in the language you use - 'ridiculous', 'epic fail', 'condescending'!!
I'm going to watch this by the way :)
rgds
Nirmal
Hey Nirmal, welcome back!
Comparison: It didn't look like the makers wanted to avoid comparison. If you've noticed, in general I don't like comparing one film to another, because it's only fair to treat a movie for what it is. I tried to avoid it, but as you can see have failed quite miserably.
Well, actually I didn't like the original as much. I liked Amitabh Bachchan (surprise, surprise), Pran and Jaya Bachchan.
Amitabh Bachchan: I actually considered if Amitabh Bachchan had more than two expressions. You see, I am extra aware when it comes to cast/crew whose work I generally like. and I'd say yes. His anger itself has many shades in Zanjeer.
Music: Oh, I hated Pinky and the other party song with Mahie Gill.
Story: Like I said, I didn't think Zanjeer (1973) was a great film. Didn't like the story much actually - Om Prakash and Keshtho Mukherjee's tracks for example were pretty annoying.
Dialogue: 2-3 iconic dialogues were used. But the rest of them were pretty awful.
Pran: Yes, I liked his portrayal of Khan. He gave it his best.
Ridiculous, epic-fail, condescending: I called the - - background music ridiculous,
- the idea of having immortalized dialogue delivered by Sanjay Dutt and Ram Charan epic fail (though I think that would be true if anyone else said them too, they are immortalized because of the people who said it) Again here I use immortalized and iconic as these are perceived and not necessarily my take on them. Very generally speaking, that they are immortal and iconic is now an arguable fact and not a matter of opinion.
- and item numbers in general (across films) condescending.
But you got that I right, I almost hated the film. :D
::ignorant American raises his hand::
Uh - what's the original about...? From this picture, it looks like a cop drama starring Some Sullen Guy and Priyanka Chopra (who you know I always like watching, Meetu!).
Yes, I'll consult Wikipedia so I sound a bit less uninformed next time - and from the cover art, the original looks pretty awesome, and I think I'm going to see if there's a DVD available of it. :)
U know m a big fan of ram charan,,,,he has given some best movie in tollywood (chirutha,magadheera,orange) ,, like we havnt seen ever in bollywood...I was not there in theater because the fact that its a zanjeer remake,,,,but i was there bcoz of ram charan,,,,but he dissappoints alot....He just acts like robot....
how can The director make a movie so carelessly when its a remake of a cult film....there are alot of stupid scense in it like - when priyanka's car get hit and she was asking help from the persons who had hit her car....
Non of the acter acted good,,,,prakash raj was so repeatetive,,,,sanjay seems lazy,,,,and mahi gill is not made for such stupid role....The only acter who does a good job was atul agnihotri....
And yes we have 3 item nos by 3 different girls within 45 min of the movie,,,,thats so irritating....
The background music which represent sanjay was too bad....
Only the action scense are executed well,,,,but they cant made the movie good....Ram Charan deserved a better debut in bollywood....
Barring Sanjeev Kumar, Mr. Bachhan is my personal favourite actor of all times. His films till mid-80s being my most favourite period of his films. Despite that I never found Zanjeer as his best film. Yes I had seen it in the 1st week of release, but I was not much impressed - even though it became a cult hit.
Nevertheless, when I learnt of the remake, I really shuddered. Remakes invariably are less attractive compared to the originals and this applies even to Hollywood films. And remaking a cult classic is very treacherous - remember Sholay v/s RGV Ki aag?
So: thanks for your advice, I will be skipping this remake.
Mitu has been kind. Switch channels if it's on cable should be the verdict.
@TimELiebe you can give the original a go. This was one of the films that gave Amitabh Bachchan the 'angry young man' tag. The story isn't great but it's worth a watch for Amitabh Bachchan alone. :D
@Anup oh...oops. About Priyanka Chopra's hit - well, I thought she didn't realise they had hit her intentionally.
And I assume you mean Atul Kulkarni.
I haven't seen any other Ram Charan films, so I don't know about his acting skills. But, he didn't seem to have any in this one.
@Ashok :D Yeah, I know!
@Meetu - thanks! :) I've got the original on my Amazon Wish List - soon as I get some extra spending money, I'll order it.
@TimELiebe it'll be worth the wait and spending money, I hope.
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