Ghatak: Lethal

Ghatak review:

Planned in early '90s with Kamal Haasan in the lead, Ghatak finally made it as a 1996 Diwali release with Sunny Deol spearheading it. Inspite of the delay, Rajkumar Santoshi's stellar execution didn't make the film appear stale at all and the movie became a runaway hit trouncing the multistarrer Sapoot it clashed with and also held well against Aamir Khan- Karisma Kapoor's "smooch" hit Raja Hindustani which released shortly after it.

Sunny Deol was outstanding as the rustic brahmin Kashi who brings his ailing foster father (Amrish Puri, excellent) for treatment to the big bad Mumbai. The suburban 'basti' he lives with his brother is literally terrorized by the local goon Kathiya (Danny Denzongpa, menacing) and his six brothers. "Saat bhai hai hum, ek se ek sher'. Inspiration from Satte Pe Satta, perhaps!!

Kashi gets on the wrong side of Kathiya and bros and in a sordid scene, they literally leash his old father to become a dog in front of the entire neighborhood. "Kutta bana diya babuji ko", Kashi cries loudly in a highly emotional scene.

Unlike Santoshi's earlier hit Ghayal (1990) which was highly sophisticated in nature, Ghatak was ekdum raw and in-your-face kinda movie. The main villain Kathiya was so caricaturish that he keeps a leopoard as a pet and indulges in a bloodsporty wrestling matches to satisfy his hunger for violence. The music was restricted to one good item number- 'Koi jaaye toh le aaye'- picturised on Mamta Kulkarni who looked damn sweet in it.

Meenakshi Seshadri was repeated from Ghayal to play Sunny's heroine but her role wasn't as strong as Santoshi's earlier movies with her. Ghatak was a complete Sunny Deol show and he didn't disappoint the audience at all. The crowd at New Citylight, Matunga where I saw it clapped and cheered everytime he finished off one of Kathiya's brothers. Finally, this is a pure "mardon wali movie" with raw brawn and the dashing Sunny in full form. Chak de Deol!!

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.