Champion Review

His 'dhai kilo ka haath' seems to have gotten heavier, and any other body part or muscle of his has been rendered even more redundant. The apology of a plot that does its best to antagonize him has gotten more apologetic. It's Sunny Deol we are talking of here, in Champion. I see a polarization of opinion regarding these facts. All those who just can't wait for Sunny to scowl, before he unleashes his fury, are gonna go bonkers over it, while the rest know which movie to avoid this week.

Rajveer Singh (Sunny Deol), a simpleton, arrives in Mumbai as a newly appointed cop, and with a dream of wiping out all crime from the city. The dream, however, is short-lived when he is assigned to the task of protecting a kid - not the best of starts, he thinks. The nine-year-old boy, Abbas (Abhishek Sharma), is the sole heir to the millions left to him by his parents, who have expired in a plane crash. Enter Nazir (Rahul Dev), who has a personal vendetta, because of which he venomously stalks the innocent child.

What follows is a story of various confrontations between the good and the bad, and a lot of action. There is also a crude attempt at humor. Somewhere in all this, Sapna (Manisha Koirala) fits in. A flashy model, she is the guardian of the little boy and quickly becomes the love interest of our upright cop/bodyguard. The outcome is some mediocre song and dance sequences.

Anu Malik, with his team of guest directors, has done a job that they'll want to forget in a hurry. The background score by Adesh Shrivastava is engrossing. In fact, the score plays a major role in elevating the feel of each sequence. The stalker's evil designs of assassinating the kid are very well executed, and it's these chilling moments that are the mainstay of this enterprise. The lighting in the night scenes, mainly those involving Rahul Dev, deserves special mention.

Sunny breathes fire in to a role that fits him like a glove. But one is inclined to think that this might be one too many down the beaten track. Rahul Dev's performance can be best described in one word - excellent. This newcomer has screen presence, delivers the right expressions and has a flawless dialogue delivery.

If you are a glutton for punishment, here is an out and out action flick made to your tastes. Otherwise save yourself the trouble of even considering this one!