Viruddh: Promo Watch 
By Gaurav Malani, August 11, 2004 - 06:25 IST
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Sharmila Tagore, Sanjay Dutt, John Abraham, Prem Chopra, Sharat Saxena and Sachin Khedekar
Trailer duration: 3 minutes 02 seconds
Mahesh V. Manjrekar's Viruddh continues the trend of a movie trailer being cut before the actual filming of the movie starts (alike Kaante, Deewaar, Dus and Dil Maange More), a step that certainly creates more awareness about the film. And because the trailer of Viruddh is cut in its pre-production stage itself, it doesn't illustrate any movie scene but represents a one-sequence monologue by Amitabh Bachchan resting on an armchair in his house where he divulges the theme of the film.
Amitabh Bachchan plays Vidyadhar Ramkrishna Patwardhan, a senior member of a middle-class Brahmin family. Clad in a sweater and donning an outdated spectacle, his look in the film makes no attempt of hiding his age, intentionally showing him as a sexagenarian. His soliloquy talks about his character, family background and life history in detail. In some light moments, he talks about his 35-year-old ancestral house in the Vile Parle suburb of Mumbai, his morning walk sessions with his neighbors (with references to Joggers Park and Walk the Talk program) and how his life was always restricted within the suburb of Mumbai he lived in.
Subsequently Vidyadhar expresses his immense love for his wife Sumitra (played by Sharmila Tagore), very much reminiscent of the Big B - Hema Malini pairing of Baghban. Vidhyadhar was a ground manager in Air India while his wife Sumitra retired as a school principal. He is a diabetic while she suffers from high blood pressure. And since their son (John Abraham) studies in America, they both are left to take care of each other.
Suddenly the trailer takes a dramatic turn where Vidhyadhar talks about a night that changed everything in their life. At this point, the trailer talks about the actual theme of the film. Vidyadhar who never felt the need to cross the boundaries of Santacruz had to dangle between police stations and commissioners like a pendulum. Sumitra who hadn't been to hospital for ages was struggling in the ICU ward.
“When pushed against a wall, even a cat strikes back
…and he was a father. They pushed him too far. Now bear the consequences” reads the extended tagline of the film giving a hint that Vidyadhar, who had been peaceful and tranquil throughout his life, turned aggressive after his patience was tested beyond limits and revolted against the corrupt system. With some heavy-headed dialogues, Amitabh expresses Vidyadhar's inner turmoil with remarkable ?n.
The story revolves around how Vidhyadhar and Sumitra are forced to search for their faith in human values and society after the death of their only son. The theme is redolent of Mahesh Bhatt's Saaransh where Anupam Kher gave a laudable performance in his debut film. Sanjay Dutt plays a mechanic in the film who comes to the rescue of Patwardhan family in their testing times.
This A.B.Corp Limited & Satyajeet Movies Pvt. Ltd presentation has recently gone on floors and will release in May 2005. The film will also be shot in the English version simultaneously, titled as Versus
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