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By Taran Adarsh, June 6, 2001 - 14:30 IST
PAAGALPAN, directed by Joy Augustine, is a story of passionate love.
Roma (Aarti Aggarwal) is the apple of the eye of her five Pinto brothers -- Arun
(Dr. Vilas), Jack (Bharat Dhabolkar), Sunny (Joy Fernandes), Harry (Howard
Rosemeyer) and Bunty (Farhan Khan) – who live in a typical Goan basti.
Sameer Malhotra (Karan Nath), son of tycoon Malhotra (Talat Rekhi), falls in
love with Roma at first sight. Roma reciprocates his love gradually and Sameer
wins over the confidence of the brothers one after another subsequently.
But tragedy strikes when a ship is made to sink under instructions from
Malhotra, and several people from the basti perish overnight. Jack, Roma's
brother, learns of Malhotra's misdeeds and a conflict erupts between the
families of those who have perished and Malhotra.
Things take a turn for the worse when Jack is killed in police custody and the
Pintos hold Sameer and his father responsible for the crime. This leads to a
rift between the Pintos and Sameer and the two lovers are forced to separate.
PAAGALPAN is about passionate love and the anguish the lovers go through when
they get isolated. The film starts off well, but is hardly convincing in the
first half.
The fault lies in the fact that the portions involving the Pintos are loud and
do not sustain the viewer's interest. Even the strategy that Sameer adopts to
win each brother is far from believable. But the film undergoes a radical change
in the post-interval portions when the lovers are compelled to go two separate
ways.
Joy Augustine, director the thoroughly entertaining TERE MERE SAPNE, gets a
tight hold on the goings-on in the second half of the film. The intensity and
passion of the lovers come to the fore in the scene when Sameer visits the basti
and gets involved in a duel, with the Pintos thrashing him and Roma, who has
been locked forcibly, attempting to harm herself.
The film moves at a brisk face in these portions and the only factor you miss is
the lack of a hit song to compliment the goings-on. The climax is equally well
shot. The water boat chase, followed by a violent encounter outside the temple,
keeps the viewer's interest alive.
Director Joy Augustine succeeds on two levels – One, he deserves full marks for
extracting wonderful performances from the two newcomers and two, he has been
successful in holding the audience attention throughout the second half.
Raju Singh's music is of a mixed variety. The tunes are easy on the ears, but a
hit score, so vital in a love story, is missing. Yet, the numbers that have
popular appeal are 'Dil Hai Deewana' and 'Mera Dil Kehne Laga'.
The basic plot is not new, but writers Janak-Hriday's screenplay, more towards
the post-interval portions, has the raw appeal to keep the viewer absorbed. The
action scenes and water boat chase deserve a special mention. Cinematography is
efficient at places.
PAAGALPAN introduces two new faces – Karan Nath and Aarti Aggarwal – and it must
be said to the credit of both that they don't let you down.
Karan has screen presence and the youngster deserves a pat for coming up with a
winning performance. He delivers the right expressions and has all the makings
of a mature performer in times to come. His handsome looks will appeal to the
young crowd instantly.
Aarti is not a conventional beauty, but a fine actress. You are impressed with
the kind of honesty and sincerity she exudes in her first film.
Amongst brothers, Dr. Vilas, Bharat Dhabolkar and Farhan Khan leave an
impression. Dr. Vilas has a goody-goody character, while Bharat Dhabolkar is
equally convincing. Farhan Khan gives a good account of himself. He doesn't go
overboard one bit when his character turns negative in the second half.
On the whole, PAAGALPAN is targeted at the youth, who will like the second
half for the performances and intensity in the goings-on. The film has opened to
a decent response and at the box-office window, this moderately-priced fare
should keep its investors safe.
  
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