The present Hindi version of TRAFFIC is the third official remake of the Malayalam hit released in 2011 with the same title. It got earlier remade in Tamil and Kannada, but this recent remake was considered special as it was directed by the man behind the original, Rajesh Pillai, who unfortunately left the world in February this year at an early age.
Reviewing the film as an individual project away from any comparisons, TRAFFIC doesn’t turn out to be any great, exciting watch bringing you on to the edge of the seats as desired. The film begins calmly introducing all related characters and keeps moving at the same pace, even after the race against the time begins post the initial 50 minutes. The background score that ideally should have been the backbone of this particular film fails to create the excitement and a completely dull feel throughout ruins the whole spirit of urgency in a highly unexpected manner. Moreover apart from the two suffering mothers, all other characters are not able to contribute in the emotional need of the subject making you feel the pain felt by the parents, particularly of the dying boy.
In short only a few things make an impact apart from the sincere performance of Manoj Bajpai in this latest Hindi version of TRAFFIC. One is the heart wrenching portrayal of the trauma faced by Divya Dutta, Kittu Gidwani and Sachin Khedekar together (that even surpasses the original). A melodious and meaningful sad song ‘Kai Khwaab Hain Baaki’ coming just at the right moment making an instant connect, Jimmy Sheirgill trying hard to create the tension to his level best and the end credits mentioning the actual event with photographs of the families involved.
In other words, one would easily rate TRAFFIC as a well-intentioned film with its heart at the right place that can be seen once. But still, I would not recommend it to BTC readers as I don’t wish you to form an inferior opinion of the theme and drop the urge of watching the original Malayalam film after going through this strange, lousy remake by the same director.
In fact I was quite surprised seeing the latest version of TRAFFIC by the same man, as here instead of enhancing it further, he goes too soft in his execution completely ruining the plot. And this is the first time I have witnessed a director deciding to underplay a fast pace thriller instead of overdoing it while going for a Hindi remake having a much wider reach all over the world.
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So paying the right tribute to the director not with us anymore, I would sincerely wish that his original Malayalam film gets seen by all friends instead of this Hindi remake, giving him the much deserving, loving and respectable farewell. No doubt, the original too has its own minuses and isn’t any perfect film, but it certainly is a far better venture and a must watch for all interested in fast paced, innovative thrillers based on a real life event. The Official DVD of Malayalam TRAFFIC (with English Subtitles) can easily be bought at just around Rs.100 online at leading portals like Amazon. And following is the link to its review at BTC mentioning some ‘exclusive’ features that might be compelling enough to make you go for it at the earliest.
However for friends interested in a comparative study in terms of execution, do watch both the original and Hindi version in a day and notice:
A. How the right background score successfully adds the much needed adrenaline rush to the narration in one and simply fails in the other.
B. How fast intercuts by the editor (using an upbeat song too in the end) brings you on to the edge of your seats getting so involved in the journey.
C. How the change of sequence from the ‘Superstar-Fans’ to ‘A Religious Procession’ completely hampers the pace affecting the film quite badly.
D. And how the spirit of the film grows like a crescendo post the initial 45 minutes in the original and doesn’t turn out the same in the Hindi version progressing in an unexpectedly lazy manner.
Summing up, this is certainly an opportunity lost wasting a highly potential plot in a film that is not going to impress the Hindi film viewers for sure. Hence with a heavy heart, I would once again request to go for the original Malayalam version instead and have a great evening together with the family raising a valid question that,
‘What would have been the scenario, if the patient here was a daughter of a poor common man instead of the rich and influential superstar?” - Give it a thought!
Rating : 2.5 / 5
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