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By Taran Adarsh, November 1, 2002 - 17:29 IST
Suryoday Productions' ANNARTH, directed by Ravi Dewan, is yet another flick on gangwars.
Sameer (Gautam Rode) returns to his 'basti' after a lapse of ten years. Jimmy (Sunil Shetty), his childhood friend, is surprised to see him.
Jimmy requests his elder brother Raghav (Ashutosh Rana), who is working for an underworld don Dayal (Tinnu Anand), to include Sameer in their gang. Sameer is inducted, but not before getting everything thoroughly checked from Iqbal Danger (Sanjay Dutt).
The story takes a turn when Bandya (cricketer Vinod Kambli makes his debut) gets killed and in a fit of rage, Jimmy avenges his death by killing a rival gangster. But the fact is that Jimmy's brother Raghav had killed Bandya.
What happens next?
An amalgamation of innumerable gangwar-based films, ANNARTH has a story that's as old as the hills. But with action director Ravi Dewan at the helm of affairs, obviously, the focus is on action scenes, more than anything else.
Although the screenplay has nothing novel to offer, a few scenes here and there do register an impact. These include Ashutosh Rana's portions in the initial reels and the one when Tinnu Anand tries to bring about a truce between two warring groups in the second half.
Just before the climax, Sunil Shetty's death sequence is expertly canned, while the climax, with lots of gunfire and blasts, is thrilling as well. But sequences like these can be counted on fingertips.
The writing (screenplay) is of absolute convenience. Sanjay Dutt's character, for instance, has been incorporated to enhance the star-value of the film, for it hardly does anything to move the story forward. His poetic attitude to being an all-informed smart alec (how does he know everything, right from who the murderer is to Gautam's identity?) just goes to show that the writer has taken the viewer for granted.
Directorially, Ravi Dewan is handicapped by an oft-repeated script, though his expertly executed action scenes do elevate the portions to an extent. Anand Raaj Ananad's music is another drawback. Since the songs have hardly been promoted, the numbers do not register any impact whatsoever. Cinematography is alright.
Sunil Shetty stands out with a credible performance. Sanjay Dutt sleepwalks through his role. Preeti Jhangiani needs to go easy on her make-up. Her few scenes are otherwise quite okay. Newcomer Gautam Rode has good screen presence and impresses as an actor. He does very well in stunts.
Johny Lever's track looks like a filler. Ashutosh Rana is excellent, essaying the negative part without going overboard. Tinnu Anand gets no scope. Vinod Kambli is average.
On the whole, ANNARTH relies too heavily on an age-old formula, thus limiting its prospects. However, the Diwali holidays are sure to prove advantageous, although its clash with two more films will cut into its share. Business in the Hindi belt should prove to be better thanks to the face-value and vibrant action.
  
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