Watch this one, even if you are not a Sunny Deol fan. Only wish the climax was not so long-winded. One does not know whether she is just a doctor to Ajay or if there is more to their relationship. The kids Anushka (Aanchal Munjal), Rohan (Shivam Patil), Zoya (Daina Khan) and Varun (Rishabh Arora) all put in a decent performance but the boy who hits the high notes with his performance is the one who plays Bansal's son. It’s shot nicely, it’s fast and it takes the right kind of approach to building on the legend of Sunny Deol and Ghayal. The dramatic bits are inconsistent but even so, the film manages to impress. If you’ve seen your fill of action films over the years you’ll really be able to appreciate what Ghayal Once Again serves up in its two-hour runtime. Unfortunately, you can remember a film for what it is not, only so much. A lot of what you like has to do with what was avoided – like self-references, songs, romantic track and so on. When the film ends though, you remember what you liked even though you are totally miffed with how it all ended. Speaking of which, the chase sequence (like the film) starts out engaging you completely making it a thriller worth its salt and then overstays its welcome. Also, all the focus on the main story, the long-long chase sequence is wrapped up all too quickly making you wonder what the fuss was all about. The film goes from being about the menace of the business-politic nexus to a personal story, rather abruptly. However, the story writing doesn't support them in the second half. The four idealistic youngsters – Shivam Patil, Aanchal Munjal, Rishabh Arora and Daina Khan – are competent enough for you to be worried for them. The villains, Narendra Jha and Abhilash Kumar play their parts as business tycoon and spoilt brat well. Soha Ali Khan seems worn out but at least she is taking age in her stride. I might be a tad more forgiving because I went in expecting a screaming Sunny Deol.
The performances too were quite restrained. For example, when was the last time we had a villain who was aware of behavioral issues? When was the last time a child was applauded and the child reprimands her audience with “what's the big deal?” These were easily excusable considering the setup typical of a film like this was conspicuous by its absence. A little tacky with the mental-illness induced flashback and a few obvious lines that were there just so the audience knows what the characters already know.
There were no typical voice-over type shortcuts no extra emphasis on trying to explain the background. When I say it started well, it has a lot to do with what wasn't done. Even so, I hope it will kero-mama it's way into our hearts even if the music itself hasn't impressed. I hope this means it is more than adding words like Facebook and Twitter into its language. Sunny Deol claims that this isn't a remake. Is Sunny Deol appealing to the bigger audience that lies in the heart of India? Maybe, yes. Is Sunny Deol appealing to the new audience of Bollywood? Maybe, no. Not only in terms of the likely target audience aging, but also in terms of the milennials having seen the story umpteen number of times in the newer films with current day “star”s. But, this time around I, and most of the audience, have grown up.
Ghayal Once Again seems to have the drama, histrionics and anger seething out of its teeth once again. I remember liking it as a 16 year old because it was different from the QSQTs and the MPKs of the time. Ghayal was the 'citizen vigilante against the system' film from way back then – 1990.
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