Aan - 2004

Story

Aan (meaning PRIDE in English) tries to tell you the positive side of the cops. The film portrays the cops who fight for the justice. Though the idea has nothing new, the director has presented a decent fair with an interesting narration.

D.C.P. Hari Om Patnaik [Akshay Kumar] gets transferred to Mumbai Crime Branch at a time when its morale is at its extremely low.

Patnik has to work with three different persons: Sr. Inspector Vikram Singh [Shatrughan Sinha], who has given up his hopes on the system, encounter specialist Inspector Appa Naik [Suniel Shetty], and the Constable Khalid [Paresh Rawal] who has a care free attitude.

All these officers have radually developed a sloppy attitude. But there is much workd to be done. The city is virtually ruled by three people... Manik Rao [Manoj Joshi], the Home Minister, Underworld don Yusuf Pathan [Irrfan Khan], and business tycoon Gautam Walia [Jackie Shroff] are the three who constitute a dangerous nexus that calls rules the city.

The new officer is determined to redeem the control from the evil force. First he has to confront the hurdles from within. He has to revamp the system.

The opportunity arises when Manik Rao gets businessman Ajit Pradhan [Milind Gunaji] eliminated by Yusuf Pathan's younger brother [Rahul Dev].

Pradhan's murder gives the opportunity to open up things. Hari and his men start the hunt to nab the culprits behind the murder. The rejuvenated police force under the able leadership of Hari Om Patnaik emerges triumph after a long and sustained struggle.

Though the basic premise is so simple, the film tries the patience of the audience as it takes time to take off. The director could have avoided elaborate introduction of each character. Milind Gunaji's murder saves the film from the sluggish path. The happenings during the song [featuring Reema Sen] and the subsequent shootout ensure the continuation of the pace.

The confrontation scenes in the post-interval portion add further momentum to the narration. The incident taking place outside the mosque is an example of good execution. The encounter between Akshay and Rahul Dev too has been excecuted well. The verbal duel between Om Puri and Manoj Joshi is excellent.

The dramatic moments and the action sequences clearly show that the director targets the masses. While mass appeal is a not a sin, the script could have been better. The romantic track between Akshay and Lara is totally waste. It does not have the romantic appeal either. This kind of films can do without usual romance sequences.

Music [Anu Malik] is nothing special. Cinematography [Madhu Rao] is marvelous. The action sequences [Abbas Ali Moghul] are stunning. Actually it is the stunts that carry the film through.

Akshay Kumar stands out amidst a host of stars. He is improving by each film. Suniel is quite impressive as usual. Shatrughan Sinha's return to big screen after a long time does not live up to the expectations. He does not get ample scope to justice to his stature.

The performances of Jackie and Raveena fall short of expectation. But you can't blame the stars, as their characterizations are half backed. Om Puri impresses in a small but significant role. Lara Dutta is wasted. Irrfan Khan dominates the screen whenever he appears.

Overall, Aan offers you an action packed commercial entertainment that has mass appeal.