Garv Review {2.5/5} & Review Rating
By sheer coincidence, men in uniform seem to have caught the fancy of Bollywood directors and writers. From the commencement of this year, there has been a deluge of films that either talk of cops and the cop-politician-underworld nexus or about Indian armed forces and their fight with the Pakistanis.
There has been KHAKEE [cops], MAQBOOL [cops-underworld], AB TAK 56 [cops], AAN [cops], DEV [cops], LAKSHYA [army] and DEEWAAR [army]. In between, BARDAASHT and MAIN HOON NA also had the protagonist as army officers.
And now there's GARV - on cops again!
The question is, does GARV have something different to say? Or is it the same old story packaged in a new avtaar? Let's put it this way: GARV is old wine, packaged in a new bottle!
GARV revolves around the life and times of officers in the Mumbai Police Force, spearheaded by Samar Singh [Amrish Puri], Arjun Ranawat [Salman Khan] and Hyder Ali [Arbaaz Khan].
In a city where corruption has become the order of the day and ethics a thing of the past, Arjun and Hyder, under the spirited guidance of Samar Singh, take up cudgels against the underworld [Mukesh Rishi], thus eliminating several 'Wanted' criminals.
The powerful people connected with the underworld don [Govind Namdeo, Anant Jog, Shivaji Satam] panic and plan out strategies to counter Samar Singh, Arjun and Hyder.
Samar Singh gets his transfer papers, Hyder is eliminated and subsequently, the underworld-politician nexus targets Arjun's mother [Farida Jalal] and sister Rakhi [Akanksha]. Arjun is compelled to take law in his hands?
GARV has a waferthin story that has been witnessed since time immemorial. Strangely, a number of Hindi films have borrowed heavily from the masala films of the 1980s and 1990s and GARV is no exception. Fortunately for GARV, the speed with which the sequence of events unfold in the first half specifically camouflage the defects largely.
The first half is extremely interesting, never mind the oft-repeated plot. The drama in the first half builds up gradually and thankfully, for a change, the cops in this film are an honest lot. In fact, Puneet Issar gets an extra point for uplifting the image of the cops in his big screen directorial debut.
Besides, the sequence of events unfolds at a brisk pace. There's so much happening in the first hour - the film begins on an exciting note [Salman's introduction is well executed], the corrupt politicians and their shrewd games are exposed, the underworld don and his evil plans come to fore, the encounters take place? It gives the viewer no time to feel restless. Thanks to the drama at the intermission - when Arjun challenges the don - the viewer awaits the second half with bated breath.
But the post-interval portions suffer from the scripting point of view. The forced romantic track and the reasons that compel Arjun to go on a rampage in the end glaringly stand out like a sore thumb.
To start with, there's no scope for romance in a script like this. So, when the battle lines are drawn at the interval point, you expect the two forces [the law makers and law breakers] to collide, resulting in a deadly duel. But, soon after the intermission, what you get to watch is the hero romancing the heroine first in Rajasthan and then in Mauritius [both dream songs]. Hello, why this sudden focus on romance?
The pre-climax and climax is another downer. Arjun decides to conceal the reason that prompted him to go on a rampage and commit mass murders. Even Samar Singh, who decides to fight his case, says that he cannot reveal the reasons that propelled Arjun to take law in his hands and that Samar should be punished. The drama builds up?
But no sooner is the reason [that compelled Arjun to commit mass murders] is revealed, the impact reduces by half. Why? Primarily because the reason is definitely valid, but such reasons have been witnessed so many times in the past that the viewer can actually guess everything even before it is revealed in the end.
Director Puneet Issar makes an impressive debut as a storyteller. He knows the technicalities right, has drawn competent performances from the cast and has handled the dramatic sequences with flourish. Arjun's clash with the politicians when the opposition demands an explanation for encounters and also when the corrupt Chief Minister [Govind Namdeo] asks for a detailed report of the underworld activities, are brilliantly executed and will be loved by the masses.
But Puneet Issar's choice of the subject is what dilutes the impact. There was scope for knitting a better screenplay in the second half.
GARV is aimed at the masses and Puneet Issar makes no pretensions about it. The film has several clap-trap moments and the director gets a major boost from two sectors - dialogues [Anirudh Dhodapkar] and background music [Aadesh Shrivastava]. The dialogues are the high point of the film and elevate even an ordinary sequence to above-ordinary heights. Ditto for the effective background score. The usage of Sanskrit shlokas as part of the background score adds punch.
Action sequences [Mahendra Verma] are appropriate, but the impact of the extremely violent portions may not be appreciated by the tender-hearted. Cinematography [Steven Fernandes, Kishore Kapadia] is of standard. Though the film doesn't have ample scope for visuals, the cinematographers do sufficient justice.
Music is a mixed bag. The two songs that stand out are 'Saiyaan' [Sajid-Wajid] and 'Marhaba' [Anu Malik]. The picturization of 'Marhaba' [on Reshma Bombaywala] should be lapped up by the hoi polloi. 'Dum Mast Mast' [Sajid-Wajid] is imaginatively filmed and tuned, but its placement is improper. In fact, the two songs ['Dum Mast Mast' and 'Hum Tumko Nigahone Mein'] in the second half, although well tuned, should be deleted rightaway since they come as a major hindrance in the narrative.
GARV belongs to Salman Khan, who carries the film on his broad shoulders. The actor takes to his part like a fish takes to water and emerges trumps. This performance will only multiply Salman's fan following by leaps and bounds!
Shilpa Shetty gets no scope at all. Blink an eyelid and she's gone! However, she sizzles in the dance numbers. Arbaaz Khan does leave a mark, more so towards the second half. Akanksha also gets scope in the post-interval portions and she does it well. Amrish Puri and Anupam Kher are proficient, like always. Mukesh Rishi is first-rate. Govind Namdeo is superb. Anant Jog, Mohan Joshi and Shivaji Satam are adequate. Inder Sudan [opposite Akanksha] gets no scope absolutely.
On the whole, GARV will meet with diverse reactions. While the hardcore masses will love it, the gentry/family/critics may not really take to it. At the box-office, the film should fare better at single screens, not at multiplexes. Its business will be good in Maharashtra, U.P.-Bihar belt and parts of South [Hyderabad-Secunderabad] in particular and smaller centres in general. The terrific start will only ensure a fast recovery for its distributors and lack of a major opposition for the next two weeks should help.
