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By Taran
Adarsh, September 14, 2007 - 13:32 IST
 Obsession.
The word has been a hot favorite of dream merchants in
Bollywood. From Abbas-Mustan's DARAAR to Yash Chopra's
DARR, to films made to this date, a number of
storytellers have woven themes around the obsessive
streak of individuals.
Ananth Narayan Mahadevan's AGGAR also does that. A
number of thrillers have successfully explored the
darker side of human personality with dexterity. AGGAR
is a fine addition to the list, although the sole
glaring flaw lies in the fact that the director has
chosen to opt for an atypical end to the story.
When everything was so unpredictable from start till
pre-climax [screenplay: S. Farhan], when layer after
layer was peeled with such finesse, when the viewer
was absolutely clueless vis-à-vis what lay in store,
why Ananth why opt for a tame ending?
Yet, in all fairness, AGGAR keeps you involved in most
parts. That's the hallmark of a good thriller, isn't
it?
Becoming attracted to the wrong man can have deadly
consequences. Janvi's [Udita Goswami] life seems ideal
on the surface: she runs a thriving business and is
married to Dr. Aditya Merchant [Shreyas Talpade], a
psychiatrist. But a faint air of discontent begins to
creep into her relationship when she begins suspecting
her husband of having an extra-marital affair with
Radha [Saadhika], an interior designer.
 Janvi
impulsively gets drawn into a steamy affair with Aryan
[Tusshar Kapoor], who works in her company. But in a
strange twist of events, she realizes that she has
stumbled badly and tries to break off her affair.
Aryan, however, is not willing to give her up so
easily and his attraction to her soon becomes a
dangerous obsession.
AGGAR has three interesting words below its logo --
Passion, Betrayal and Terror -- and AGGAR does justice
to it in those 2 hours. There's never a moment that
gives you the feeling of déjà vu. Not once do you feel
that it's one of those been-there-seen-that kind of
movie-going experiences.
Note the sequences: Sophie Chaudhary accidentally
falling of from the rooftop mansion… The gradual
attraction between Tusshar and Udita… Udita's outburst
in the office. Ananth executes the written material
wonderfully well.
But, as mentioned earlier, the culmination to the tale
should've been equally unpredictable, not abstract
mind you. A badly bruised Tusshar emerging from the
pool and beating Shreyas black and blue is a complete
cinematic liberty. Ditto for the end.
The other area where the film dips is Mithoon's music.
The young musician showed promise in his earlier
works, but the tunes in AGGAR sound similar to his
recent work THE TRAIN [the songs of this film are
still fresh]. Hello, why this need to repeat yourself?
Have you exhausted your stock of tunes already? K.
Rajkumar's cinematography is topnotch.
 AGGAR
rests on three characters mainly and each of them
packs in a solid punch. Tusshar is a revelation. The
actor has always come up with honest performances in
the past, but he pitches his best work to date in
AGGAR. We're used to watching actors hamming away to
glory in roles of obsessed lovers, but Tusshar doesn't
go over the top at all. Tremendous work!
Shreyas Talpade is in complete form. Enacting the role
of a shrewd operator who's in search of a guinea pig
to carry out his devious plan, the young actor proves
his versatility yet again. His volte face will catch
the viewer by surprise.
Udita Goswami is fantastic. She sinks her teeth in
this challenging role and enacts it with gusto. AGGAR
is one film that showcases her talent to the optimum.
Excellent work indeed! Nauheed Cyrusi is adequate.
Sophie Chaudhary makes her presence felt in a brief
role. Saadhika is okay.
On the whole, AGGAR is a well-made thriller that
should appeal to the multiplex junta primarily. But
its business will get affected due to several vital
reasons: The 20/20 cricket matches [the India-Pakistan
match specifically], the commencement of the holy
month of Ramzan and Ganeshotsav. Obviously, a large
section of moviegoers will stay away from cineplexes
in days to come. The poor opening will also tell on
its business.
Rating:- * 1/2
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