Farz Review {1/5} & Review Rating
Vishant International's FARZ, directed by Raj Kanwar, is yet another honest-cop-versus-underworld saga, which lays emphasis on blood, bullets and blasts.
ACP Karan (Sunny Deol) is a force to reckon with. He is alone in the world and, therefore, has a no-holds-barred approach towards life. He believes in eliminating the disease of crime from its roots.
On the other hand, his partner, ACP Arjun Singh (Om Puri), is a family man, content to lead a risk free professional life. He suffers from an acute fear psychosis because his best friend (Dara Singh), also a cop, lost his life in the line of duty just a few days before retirement. This fear is further accentuated by Arjun Singh's love for his daughter (Preity Zinta as Kajal).
Karan and Arjun Singh are constantly at logger heads, a scenario further aggravated by Kajal falling in love with Karan and his daredevil attitude. Arjun Singh, for obvious reasons, is totally averse to this as he is not very keen to see his daughter as a young widow.
Karan, always on the lookout for challenges, offers to take on the responsibility of bringing the dreaded underworld don Gawa Firozi (Jackie Shroff) and his brother, Sikander (Mukesh Tiwari), to book. In the process, to Arjun Singh's dismay, Karan presents Kajal as an eyewitness to nail Sikander for murder charges. Despite Arjun Singh's protests, the headstrong streak in Kajal makes her defy her father and agree to depose against Sikander before the court of law.
Sikander is arrested, infuriating Gawa Firozi, who wants his brother out at any cost. He hatches a plan for Sikander's escape but Karan outsmarts him and in the process, Sikander is killed and Gawa is arrested. Karan is promoted to the post of DCP due to this brave act.
Karan and Kajal are now leading a blissful life, totally oblivious of the fact that Gawa Firozi is plotting revenge.
The problem with FARZ is its predictable storyline, which is an amalgamation of several Sunny Deol starrers. In fact, Sunny's characterisation of a cop comes very close to the one he essayed in CHAMPION, released barely three weeks ago.
The script of this enterprise abounds in predictability, with action incorporated in generous doses. To be honest, the film impresses in parts only, not in totality. That's mainly because the writer resorts to too many clich?in the narrative.
Besides the lacklustre script, the music is equally uninspiring. The tunes are oft-repeated and even the placement of songs is improper. At least two numbers can easily be deleted since they obstruct the unfolding of the drama. The only number that stands out is the one picturised on Pooja Batra ? 'Bichua Bichua'.
The only scoring point are the confrontations between Sunny and Om Puri initially, and Mukesh Tiwari and Jackie Shroff later. Besides a handful of individual scenes, the film also scores in the action department (Tinu Verma). The stunts are well orchestrated, with a lot of money spent to achieve the desired impact.
Directorially, Raj Kanwar is not in form and that's mainly because the script he has chosen has been witnessed innumerable times earlier. Things do improve towards the second half, but again, the drama has been stretched to such an extent that it tells on the patience of the viewer.
Sunny Deol seems to be repeating himself in film after film. It is surprising that he hasn't shown restraint to roles that exhibit just one facet of his personality ? a muscle-flexing cop. Preity Zinta doesn't get much scope in a male-dominated show.
Jackie Shroff impresses in a negative role. Johny Lever fails to evoke laughter mainly because his characterisation is not properly etched. He seems to reach the right place at the right time and in a different get-up always, this aspect seems too much of a cinematic liberty.
On the whole, FARZ is an apt case of old wine packaged in a new bottle. The film relies too heavily on predictability, which will curtail its run at the box-office.
