I arrive at a single screen theatre at 8:40 a.m. I see a long queue of people waiting for their turn. I am shocked. Okay, I did expect the film to take a fair opening but never expected a film, which stars no A-lister, to open to an almost packed house (that too, morning show) . Some people star coming out of the queue as they, seeing the number of people queuing up, gauge that they are most unlikely to get a ticket and hence, decide not to waste any more time. I do the same deciding to go to the only multiplex in the city hoping to get tickets there. I stop by a petrol pump and just as I am rummaging through my bag to find my wallet, while sitting on the bike, my right leg accidentally touches the burning hot silencer of the bike which in turn leaves a gash on my leg tearing my skin apart. For a moment, I think of going back home but the movie bug within me refuses to let me do so. Finally, after some water and band aid, I rush towards my destination. The box office, at the multiplex, is anything but crowded. I heave a sigh of relief. After buying a ticket, I rush to the fourth floor of the mall where the theatre is situated. Getting inside Screen No. 3, I see an occupancy of 50-60 %. Not great but not bad either. The movie starts at 9:20 a.m.
.The opening reels show Captain Karan Vir Dobra (Vidyut Jamwal) being interrogated and tortured by Chinese Military Officials - a far cry from what we saw of him in the promos in which he takes on a dozen of goons single handedly.The Indian Army, under pressure from unscrupulous politicians, erase Karan's army record as they beleive that The Chinese Government will not beleive any proof that they show of Karan belonging to the Indian Army. After spending a year in jail, Karan manages to escape. As Karan crosses the Himachal-Punjab border, he runs into Simrit Kaur ( Pooja Chopra) who is being chased by the baddie Amrit Singh's ( Jaideep Ahlawat) henchmen. From here onwards, Vidyut flaunts his exceptional action skills in a series of action sequences that occur at regular intervals. It wouldn't be wrong to say that the script ( Ritesh Shah ), though good, leaves a lot to be desired. In this case, a well thought out idea fails to translate into a coherent script. For instance, the chase continues for too long. Moreover, Karan's track is sidelined in favour of Simrit's. For instance, there is no interaction of Karan with the politician or with the Chinese Government even as the film comes to an end. How does he or for that matter General Akhilesh Sinha ( Darshan Jariwala) help him prove his innocence to the Chinese Government?
'Commando' rests on the strong shoulders of Vidyut Jamwal who makes a successful transition from a 'villain' to a 'hero'. The Hindi Cinema audience had never seen an action hero like him before. He is brilliant and absolutely perfect in the jaw dropping action sequences and delivers in the acting department too. He may have not been blessed with conventional 'hero' looks but can go a long distance depending on the kind of roles he chooses-the ones that would suit him. The fact that he is a good dancer ( the glimpses of which one saw in 'Lut Jawan' ) would work to his advantage. After a minuscule role in 'Heroine' and a couple of films down south, Pooja Chopra makes a very confident full fledged debut in Hindi Cinema with this film. She looks ravishing throughout the film and delivers a performance which shines in a film dominated my male actors. While one may argue that her character (Simrit Gaur ) has shades of Geet ( the character that Kareena Kapoor played in 'Jab We Met' ), Pooja breathes life into this character who though bubbly, talkative and vivacious, exhibits undeterred courage and boldness. Jaideep Ahlawat (as AK 74/Amrit Kanwal), playing a menacing villain who keeps the system 'in his pocket', delivers the best performance of the film. Whether he is removing his shades to show his 'pupil-less' eyes or cracking up SMS jokes, he is terrific in each and every frame of the movie. Darshan Jariwala (as General Akhilesh Sinha ) does not have much to do but being the great actor actor that he is, he lights up every scene he appears in.
Dilip Ghosh, who has directed several ad dilms in the past, makes an assured debut as a feature film director. A better script would do justice to his directorial abilities. Commando' largely benefits from Sejal Shah (DOP) and action director Franz Sphilhaus. The camerawork is outstanding to say the least. This is easily one of her best work. Franz Sphilhaus clearly raises the bar and raises it very high for the Indian action directors as he has choreographed the best action sequences one has ever seen in a Hindi film. The dialogues are the kind that would entice one to clap and whistle-brilliant! Music [ Mannan Shah ] is strictly average. The placements of the songs, except for 'Lena Dena' could not have been worse. The 'item number' [Mungda],especially, works as a speed breaker and is tuneless. The picturisation of 'Saawan Bairi' is brilliant though. The background score [ Prasad Sashte ] is effective. The editing [ Amitabh Shukla ] is crisp.
'Commando' is a film that needs to be watched for the absolutely brilliant action sequences that leaves one spellbound. One had never witnessed such raw and edgy action before. Sure, Vipul Amrutlal Shah's earlier production 'Force' did offer such action but only in bits and pieces. 'Commando' takes the Action genre, in Hindi films, to an altogether different level.
