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Circa 1982. The whole nation was worried about the health of an actor who during the shooting of 'Coolie' was hurt in stomach and taken seriously ill. That time there were no news channels that go hysteric even for a whiff in the air. The star was Amitabh Bachchan and when he came out of the ICU, his 'Coolie'released thereafter made a huge success at the box office. Now in 2005, Amitabh Bachchan is once again in the hospital. He is ailing with the same problem. However, his producers and the directors are not willing to wait for him as in the past. Premiere or no premiere, they are falling heads over heels to release his films in line and trying to cash the sympathy wave that once made many post-'Coolie' releases take a huge chunk of money back home.

So, we have a producer like Bunty Walia coming on screen with no gut feeling on his face and saying that he is going to release his latest 'Ek Ajnabee' though Big B is still in hospital. The only grace he has shown towards his lead actor is that he has canceled the movie's premiere. Not only Bunty Walia of 'Ek Ajnabee' but even old friend Ramesh Sippy doesn't want to hold a premiere for his son's next venture 'Bluffmaster'. If Big B wasn't present from all the pre-release publicity of 'Ek Ajnabee', the same is the case with Junior B, who has shown his inability to join in the pre-release publicity of 'Bluffmaster'.

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Is Amitabh Bachchan at an age of 63, still able to carry a feature film that too an actioner, on his shoulders? Add the misery of no other saleable actor to this and also the name of a director who has just one film to his credit and that too a flop; the prospects look very grim. What is the result of this one-man show? We shall let you know in a short while. First, let us come to the story of 'Ek Ajnabee' (A Stranger).

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The stranger in the film is none other than Amitabh Bachchan himself. He plays Suryaveer Singh, a commando from the army. He has a friend Shekhar (Arjun Rampal teaming with the ace actor one again after 'Aankhen') who now runs a security agency in Bangkok. Both Amitabh and Arjun had failed in a mission when they were in uniform. So, they quit their jobs. Now, they want to redeem their lost glory, and a tool for all this becomes an eight-year-old child Anaamika (Rucha). The basic concept of the film is taken from legendry film 'Seven Samurai' and has been turned into a story of two Samurai. The idea of protecting a child with the help of a former commando takes its origin from 'The Sixth Sense'.

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The drama starts in 'Ek Ajnabee' when Suryaveer is called to Bangkok by Shekhar to protect the child. Her mother (Perizaad Zorabian) is afraid of her child getting kidnapped by some miscreants. Shekhar is of the opinion that by getting in the skin of a bodyguard, Suryaveer will be able to forget his past and turn a normal man. Suryaveer accepts the job; but despite all his efforts the kid is kidnapped and he finds himself pushed back into his past. But, this time he decides to get the girl back. With his commando expertise and war experience he tries to find out where the girl is, only to unmask another shocking and horrifying secret.

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Shot beautifully and with a lot of style thrown into the each frame, 'Ek Ajnabee' is a very well packaged movie that aims to cater to the audience of multiplexes. Director Apoorva Lakhia, who started as a director in Abhishek's one of the most dud films in his career 'Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost', now has his own career on stake. The chap lacks the content command and also the basic sense of story narration.

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He wants to tell a lot in very little time and that is not going to be a great thing if you are going to make a film with a legend like Amitabh Bachchan. The name of Big B is so big that even a second of humiliation for him is not acceptable to his fans. And, these fans do not come out of multiplex audiences; they are out of theaters from towns like Rampur, Kanpur, Nashik, Ludhiana and Bhopal. But, 'Ek Ajnabee' may not relate with the audience of these centers. To make a film click with Indian audience one has to peep into their hearts.

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They respect values, and every glamour, glitz and glow has to be based on this. One cannot befool them with smart editing, attractive wigs (that big B wears in this film) and stylish suits. 'Ek Ajnabee' falls flat as far as the story narration is concerned, to get to direct Amitabh Bachchan is one thing and to present him convincingly on screen is not just another thing but it changes the whole world of every director. Making Amitabh do stunts at 63 is a gimmick that may cost the film all its fortune.

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Having said all this, there is still the sympathy factor that might work in favor of the film. So, if 'Ek Ajnabee' succeeds it will be only because of sympathy for Big B. Despite the fact that Amitabh Bachchan has tried to put all his efforts into an oft-repeated story, his age becomes a barrier for him for doing these kinds of roles. Every director cannot be Raj Kumar Santoshi who even used Amitabh's illness (asthma) to make his aging character in 'Khaki' look more authentic. Lakhia has to learn a lot before banging on his next film, if he gets any. The only actor who impresses in 'Ek Ajnabee' is Amitabh, Amitabh and Amitabh! Sorry, Arjun and sorry Perizaad. A pity that when Sun shines even the brightest stars lose their shine. Better luck next time.