Don strikes back! Yes, Bollywood never seems to get fed up of underworld stories. So, when Ram Gopal Verma's factory is busy planning release of prequel of their last hit 'Company', D. Producer Harry Baweja brings to us yet another gory picture of the underworld. In between, there are few attempts going on like 'Sehar--The Morning' where the underworld is not from Mumbai, Dubai or Hong Kong. It is learnt that 'Sehar' is the first film being made on the gang lords of Northern India that controls the politics of the nation. But, right now the focus is on Harry Baweja's latest flick 'Karam'. 'This movie deals with intra-relations of the underworld and also with the emotional disasters of its protagonists.
The hero is not the real hero; he is an underworld sharp shooter who is tall and handsome though. He may not be dark colored, but he deals with the darker side of life. There has been a plethora of crime movies during the last few years and everyone from Ramu to Sanjay Dutt has tried to rake in moolah by their own versions of how the underworld in India or say in Mumbai functions. This time the captain of the ship is Sanjay F Gupta, a man mainly known for his slick music videos in the past (don't get confused with Sanjay Gupta, they have two separate identities). Sanjay F Gupta leaps into film direction after getting recent applause in films like 'Qayamat' and 'Mujhse Shaadi Karogi' as a cinematographer.
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The basic plot of 'Karam' centers on John (John Abraham). The viewers are not told why he was forced to lift the gun for the gang lord Captain (Bharat Dabholkar). However, it is clear from the scene one that Captain's world of terror is because of the abilities of John to kill in the most difficult situations. One day he has to kill a prime target. Something goes wrong in the planning and the execution, John and his men end up killing an innocent family.
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John is shattered to see the young girl dying of his bullets. He wants to leave this job for settling down in another city with his love Shalini (Priyanka Chopra). But, Captain will not let it happen. He needs John by his side as his rival Yunus (Vishwajeet Pradhan) wants to rule the underworld minus Captain. Captain wants John to create terror in the city by killing all the big aides of Yunus. When John confronts him, Captain gets Shalini abducted. To save her love John goes on a killing spree.
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Then enters a smart cop, ACP Wagh (Shiney Ahuja) and things get more difficult for John. Wagh comes to know of the John's hit list and tries to protect them. John changes his plans. He meets Yunus, and gets his love released from the den of Captain. After double cross comes the triple cross when he kills Yunus and his aides too. On the other hand, Captain is furious to learn that his own protégé John has ditched him. He is now out to teach John a lesson. The fierce battle begins between the two and what unfolds is the terror in the city; blood scattered all over the streets and dead bodies flying in the air like never before.
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So, what is new in 'Karam'? The message may be that you reap what you sow. But Bollywood has never gone archetype while dealing with crime and so has been the case in 'Karam' too. But, director Sanjay F Gupta and Harry Baweja have failed to apply the same logic on them. They have made a film that has more glitches than the glamour. With the help of his writer Anurag Kashyap, Sanjay F Gupta has tried to create some very good scenes. The one when Captain kills Trivedi on the seashore or when ACP Wagh deals with the girl sitting on the edge of AC platform.
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However, efforts are lacking in characterization of the main players. Why John has chosen the crime path is never told and why despite knowing everything about John, Shalini does not confront him with this fact. Another point that both the director and the writer have missed is that the film is very urban centric and it does not have even a single reference point where the audience from smaller town can relate itself to the on goings on the screen. The sound effects in many scenes are irritating. The focus on the story is lost mid way.
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Harry Baweja must have given Priyanka Chopra a very good story session otherwise there was no other reason for her to do this role when her career is shaping so well. She does put her best to do a role that required more maturity than that of an actress like her. She cries and delivers in close up shots so well. But the cameraman could have avoided the chin hair on her face. Thus, she would have looked more impressive. John Abraham is a loser, and it looks that he is getting typecast in such a role. After the success of 'Dhoom' people want better films from him, maybe 'Kaal' will bring some relief for him. Shiney Ahuja gets a good role to show his talent, but his face is too soft to suit the role of an ACP. In Bharat Dabholkar, Bollywood may get another don for future films. However, the future of 'Karam' is in doldrums at the box office.
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