Film Review:
Her sparkling eyes, easy-going demeanor and body language are a visual treat. Pretty comfortable in front of the camera her delivery and timing keeps the viewer fascinated. The writers and editors deserve a lot of credit as does this female lead.I am referring to Maya (Genelia D’Souza) in Force, a romantic action film that includes male lead John Abraham (Yashvardhan), a hard-working, but stubborn, narcotics officer who ensures that bad guys get their due. In his self-styled vigilante role, Yashvardhan sometimes bends the rules to obtain justice. He believes that the only way to eradicate crime is to give criminals the bullets -- not handcuffs.
Maya, a strong-willed, affable social worker helps children learn and is keen in making a difference in people’s lives. In one of the encounters, she bumps into Yashvardhan, the ACP (Asst. Commissioner of Police) and it’s a matter of love at first sight for the free-spirited girl. Maya’s love pushes the “ACP sir” to make a choice between the life he already knows and the life he could have with her. Yashvardhan's decision to let happiness and normalcy into his life changes his life forever.
Amorous lead couple (left) and Beefy John Abraham (right) An actor who has acted in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi films, Genelia says, “Force allows me to push both my artistic and physical boundaries. I think while the young, cute, energetic girl has been something most people associate me with, this film has given me a character who is definitely a mature extension of that bubbly girl. As soon as I read the script, I was hooked and wanted to be a part of this film” directed by Nishikant Kamath (Mumbai Meri Jaan) and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah.
In terms of breath-taking action, John is superbly matched with debutante villain Vishnu played by Vidyut Jamwal who has been trained in the martial arts including gymnastics and Kalari or Kalaripayattu which originated in Kerala. Vishnu’s nemesis is Yashvardhan who keeps the fights credible and thrilling thanks to his newly-acquired muscles and weight. Reportedly, stunt director Allah Amin was on hand for the more difficult scenes.
Fighting drug traffickers
While reporting to the chief of the drug operations played by Raj Babbar Yashvardhan confesses about Vishnu, “I told you we are not dealing with a person, I told you, its an animal.” The rite of passage for an actor these days seems to be a bare-breasted image made popular by the likes of Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan, and John Abraham does not disappoint with his “8-pack” abs. At times the tough guy shows his softer side which is refreshingly endearing since Maya (Genelia) virtually carries the film. John says, “As a love interest Genelia is so full of life who brings so much energy on the sets, it was amazing to work with a thorough professional.”Force is the Hindi remake of Gautham Menon’s 2003 Tamil thriller Kākka Kākka (or the Protectors), that featured actor Surya. In the Tamil version the cops were battling organized crime, here the draw is drugs being smuggled and exported on an international level.
Well-choreographed and crafted the gripping narrative shows lots of action and romantic takes. Music director Harris Jayaraj gives new meaning to sentimental scores with Chahoon Bhi, sung by Karthik and Bombay Jayshree, bound to become an iPod favorite.
Wedding scene
Light-hearted banter at times between Yashvardhan’s colleague Atul (Mohnish Behl) and his wife, Rachana (played by Anaitha Nair) helps ease the tension. In one candid shot, she recommends to the ACP to “lose his virginity” that day.Finally, some of the fighting and shooting scenes could have been left behind in the editing room. Force could have been contained within two hours instead of the 138 minutes it runs for.
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[Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York based freelance writer. He covers trend stories on art, reviews books and films for media based in New York; Toronto, Canada; Seoul, Republic of Korea; and India. He can be reached at raj.rangarajan@gmail.com]
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