Mafia or underworld of Mumbai was extremely talked about point decades ago. It almost has been eradicated now but in the eighties and nineties there were ‘Star Gangsters’ on whose lives some of the films are based. When the cinema needs change post-pandemic, one needs to come up with a good script. The audiences today back good scripts irrespective of who is in the film and the so called superstars no more lure audiences to the theatres with mediocre stuff. Talking about good script, a new movie #Aazam has one and writer and director #ShravanTiwari has woven a one night story around underworld happenings which are thrilling as well as entertaining. This crime drama doesn’t tread the path of run of the mill underworld capers but keeps audiences on the edge of the seats.
Aazam isn’t a story involving protagonist and antagonist but all the characters have grey shades. And that makes it human despite all the gun murders, gunfights and killings.
Nawab Khan (Raza Murad), who was an undisputed underworld king, is suffering from cancer and is on a death bed. Doctors say he only has a couple of weeks to live. So the hunt for his successor is on. But there are more claimants and when his son Kadar (Abhimanyu Singh), who is a rightful successor, along with his colleague Javed (Jimmy Sheirgill) decides to eradicate the entire opposition in a single night. But other syndicate members get the whiff of it and they make a counter plan. Meanwhile DCP Ajay Joshi (Indraneil Sengupta) enters the scenario to stop the mayhem but gets enmeshed in Javed’s plans making the movie’s plot more interesting. What transpires around it forms the crux of the story with conspiracy, betrayal and deceit taking the frontline.
After a long gap viewers will witness a griping screenplay. The happenings aren’t predictable and that makes viewers to get more engrossed in the proceedings. The dialogues remind one of the nineties ‘Kya dialogue mara’ stuff. But the director falters at places because the tautness of script doesn’t get presented in tight fashion. Though editing is good and the director has been true to the subject so the film has become interesting. Surprisingly there’s no lead female character which helps the film to retain it’s pace. There’s only one title song which is used intermittently. The background score is jarring at points. Jimmy Sheirgill wins the show hands down. Without going overboard he aces the character with subtleness and projects nuances of his character deftly. He is the backbone of the film and he carries the film on his shoulders with elan. Abhimanyu Singh, despite limited screen time, shows how powerful performer he is. Raza Murad, Govind Namdev and Sayaji Shinde too do their job convincingly.
Aazam is a modern take on an underworld crime drama which is gripping and certainly a one-time watch.
***1/2
