In Ungli, four friends,instigated by a tragic incident and invigorated with the denial of justice,take law into their hands by turning into vigilantes.This theme might have germinated from Rang De Basanti whose screenplay was co-written by director Rensil Desilva who sensitized us with his recalcitrance in that 2006 runaway hit.The idea might seem interesting, but Rensil offers quite a implausible solution to the mammoth-shaped problem that has plagued our society - corruption.
A crime reporter working for a hotshot TV Channel(Randeep Hooda), a medical intern(Kangana), a techie(Neil Bhoopalan) and a garage mechanic(Angad Bedi)join hands to dispense justice to the common man by taking into tasks the corrupt entities in our system.Together, they form the 'Ungli' gang, a metaphor for 'balls to the inefficient system and law' who punish the corrupt bureaucrats, local politicians, arrogant auto-rickshaw wallas in innovative ways,without being violent.Their masked-vigilantism goes viral with each of their accomplishments being video-taped by themselves and sent to media and grabs everyone's eyeballs causing agony to the police department.Enter ACP Kale(Sanjay Dutt)to nab these 'criminals' before they are idolized like Batman of Gotham city!And soon he realizes that to track them , you gotta think like them.Kale appoints the cop with a notorious streak, Nikhil(Emraan Hashmi) who infiltrates the gang, but later finds himself struggling with the predicament of dutifulness and conscientious action.
Without delving into the details of the protagonists, Rensil who has also scripted the story, takes the narrative at a break-neck speed providing the piping-hot vignettes of the Ungli gang's operations.Though it appears too smooth and simplistic, its the fun and quirk quotient that keeps us hooked.Equally entertaining are the corny dialogues (Milap Zaveri) and witty one-liners which are written only to garner whistles and they are pun-intended when you see them uttered by Hashmi and Dutt. Sample this - When Hashmi's character says to Dutt, "I want you to be back in the business",he retaliates sarcastically "Meri Billi mujhi se miwaaon!" Some of the portions are ignored conveniently, like the budding romance between Hashmi and Kangana and some subplots, like Hooda pursuing the sexy news reporter played by Neha Dhupia,are given too much of importance,ultimately diluting the impact.What goes against the film is the climax which is too convenient for a finale and devoid of an anticipated hard- hitting tone.
The entire cast does a good job here, specially Randeep Hooda who emotes according to the pulse of any sequence.Kangana Ranaut is sadly relegated to the background, and I wished she had a more meaty role.Emraan Hashmi appears too tired and uninterested to be in the familiar character space while Dutt exudes commendable screen presence even with a salt-n-pepper hairdo and drooling eyes.The camaraderie's in the gang is spot-on which adds to the film's strengths.
On the whole, Ungli is a feel-good entertainer which doesn't make you leave the theater with a heavy heart but you will certainly retrospect - wasn't it too far-fetched an idea ! It has got its heart at the right place but finger on the wrong pulse. Rating : 2.5/5
