Tigmanshu Dhulia is one of my favourite directors, but I have always wondered why his films manage to get a very low profile release even after his established status of a talented director? Anyway looking at the promos of SHAGIRD, I was not convinced much as the film just looked like a sequel to AB TAK CHHAPPAN with Nana Patekar doing a similar kind of role of an encounter specialist. And after watching it I was proved right as the film exactly walks on the similar lines with only the underworld mafia being replaced by the political dons and some more corrupt officials within the police force.
Usually Tigmanshu always comes up with a novel concept as in HAASIL, CHARAS and the forthcoming PAAN SINGH TOMAR. But for some unknown reasons he adapts an already very well exploited theme of Police-Underworld–Politicians nexus in SHAGIRD which was quite strange looking at his track record. May be he was too confident of the unexpected twists and turns in the script to get him some favorable results. But unfortunately, all those shocks about the hidden characterizations come too late in the narration and therefore fail to work in a big way.
The first half of the film is fine but very similar to the one seen in ATC. In the same manner Nana is a famous rude cop who shoots before anybody speaks and his team has a fresh entrant as Mohit who has just joined the police force. As seen in ATC, Mohit too is afraid of killing a criminal for no reason at all in a fake encounter, which he later learns along with the changing circumstances. The movie takes a fresh turn when three journalists are kidnapped by some terrorists groups to get their demands fulfilled. But this kidnapping sequence only becomes the weakest part of the film as the real brain behind the plan and its hidden purpose all remain pretty confused in the script.
Post intermission there are more shocking turns in the script which keep the viewers engrossed. But as I felt the twists come up rather too late in the script, which make the movie a bit longer than actually required. Moreover, the sudden weird kind of climax also leaves the viewer in a questioning state which is not at all a good sign for the commercial prospect of the movie. The abrupt change of characters in the script sometimes looks like overdone when we see no feeling of respect or regards in any character for his colleagues or friends.
So if you are already a fan of the brilliant work by Shimit Amin and Nana Patekar together in AB TAK CHHAPPAN (which is also there in my ‘Movies To See Before You Die’ list), then SHAGIRD will not be that exciting for you since it’s a mere extension of the same plot. But in case you haven’t seen ATC then SHAGIRD may impress you a lot with its smart execution and fast pace. Basically SHAGIRD leaves a mark mainly because of the fabulous witty one liners spoken in his own unique style by Nana Patekar and a brilliant sensible cast brought together by the director and his team.
No doubt Nana leads the film perfectly as usual, but it’s actually all the supporting actors who all together give you an enjoyable time in the theater, provided you love the genre of hard-hitting political crime thrillers. Zakir Hussain as the Party leader is outstanding along with Mohit Ahlawat who is surprisingly good. Rimi Sen is just ok in her awkward wardrobe for a reporter’s character. But the subplot of Mohit and Rimi’s romance simply falls flat and irritates. As a bonus feature you get to see Anurag Kashyap, the director in the role of Bunty bhaiya, who is fine but nothing exceptional. The Cinematography in this song less film, needs a special mention here particularly for its opening shoot out sequence in the narrow lanes of Delhi-6.
In all, SHAGIRD is a good one time watch, especially if you are a fan of Nana Patekar. But I was expecting a lot more from the combo of Nana and Tigmanshu. In fact, I found this as the director’s least worked upon project till date. The film leaves you with a mixed kind of impact in the end and would appeal to only a limited section of the viewers. It’s like a sequel of AB TAK CHHAPPAN but lacks the finesse and polish of Shimin’s worth watching gem.
Ratings : 2.5 / 5
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