Movie review: Move over Superman, Sunny Deol is here with his fist of fury

A poster of the Bollywood film 'Ghayal Once Again.'

I honestly wonder if it is Sunny Deol who makes a comeback in ‘Ghayal Once Again’, or was it his legendary fist of fury?

It is during the last few minutes before the curtains come down and you watch, rather hopelessly, how the bulky hand lands on a young man’s pretty face in slow motion that you understand why this movie was made.

While, Sunny thankfully doesn’t mouth his iconic line (‘Dhai Kilo Ka Haath’), it will definitely play out in your head.

It is possibly the only reason why he would have stepped back in the spotlight to give life to a character he had essayed 26 years ago.

Ajay Mehra returns with ‘Ghayal Once Again’, sporting a strange new hair style and forces his bulky body through many a brawl. He is either saving lives or straightening out corrupt officials or popping pills to pacify his wavering mind.

The man is a superhero minus the cape and costume. (Thankfully!)

Watching him walk out of cars and helicopters crushed after doing intense somersaults, without ever bruising or breaking a bone just reiterates that fact. It is a norm with heroes of the 1980s and 90s, but Bollywood has evolved, at least for some, so such a leap of faith demands some superhero explanation.

We get none and are fed enough substance on Ajay’s goodwill instead.

So, it’s understandable that writer Sanjay Masoom will write him a villain. This one is a businessman who bears uncanny resemblance to a celebrated industrialist in Mumbai and his much-written about luxurious pad. He and his cranky son spend much of their screen time trying to battle the big guy, while the ladies of the house flaunt their noble hearts.

So, while there is a war that kicks off in the city of Mumbai, and the baddie attempts a lame scream match with our (super vocal)hero, there are a bunch of young kids running around aimlessly with video footage of a high-profile murder.

Ajay is on the case with his army of men, who strangely call themselves ‘satyakams.’

It is the kind of storytelling that unintentionally turns a thriller into comedy of the lowest kind.

There is, however, a single moment of promise, when a vintage shot of Sunny and Menakshi Sheshadri plays out in the first few minutes. But Sunny muddles it with bad dubbing, leaving us disappointed.

There’s Om Puri, Tisca Chopra and Soha Ali Khan, who pad the narrative but without relevance or impact.

‘Ghayal Once Again’ is a classic case of inferior storytelling, amateur performances and mediocre special effects. A movie best left untouched.


Print Email