Khakee Review

Let us examine Amitabh, and attempt to discover what the magic power is that draws millions of men into watching his movies year after year. Can it be that they seek the true man in themselves through him? No, because they'd end up with a crippled man in a wheelchair attempting the stunts. Can it be that they seek the opportunity to sit and meditate on the philosophies of life? No, because they get so swacked on the heroine, they can't even meditate on which end of the body to put into the seat. Can it be that they seek to get away from their wives and kids? You said it!

And Khakee is no different, except that it reminds them of their wives and kids, again.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police (Ananth, Amitabh, man) is a washed-up cop, who's been a perfect victim of the system, abiding painstakingly to the regulations. His only achievement, in all the years of service, is the bulge of flab that he smartly tucks away into those Khakis. Dragging it around proudly, he's selected to lead a team of cops on a dangerous mission.

The mission is to transfer a deadly terrorist from the prison to the courtroom. A carnage of corpses materialized the last time someone tried to do that.

To assist Amitabh is a team of highly trained professionals, who know how to fly a jumbo jet but struggle to put up an honest expression on their faces. Maybe it's just Amitabh who makes all the actors around him look like lost zombies searching for a coffin to hide. His team consists of:

Akshay Kumar: The dishonest cop (the only realistic one at that) who reminds men of their rebellious, adolescent sons. Controlled only by the scent of a wad of cash and a wad of women!

Tusshaar Kapoor: The goody-two-shoes greenhorn cop, who joined the force to make a huge difference to this world. He reminds men of their grown-up daughters. He's got that troubled expression of being highly uncomfortable in a man's clothes, or he's worried that his name has not been changed to Ktusshaeir Kkappoorr, as is the family tradition.

Aishwarya Rai: This is a mission so stunningly dangerous, they disallow other cops to tag along. But a helpless, frail girl who informs them about the terrorist group is a big yes. Especially if she is Miss World. From the beginning, her presence is a little 'twisted'. A typical girlfriend of your son.

Other cops: Their family schtick drones on and on, making it obvious that these are the guys that are going to die to make the mission look really dangerous. Reminds men of good neighbours and how they always move out.

With real life characters, the tale is intertwined into a maze of brilliance and sheer stupidity. The mission they're working on turns out to be a setup, as the politicians and the higher officials themselves are against the success of the mission.

The main threat to the mission is Ajay Devgan, trying hard to emulate the panache of stylized malevolence, and ultimately looking like any other ordinary villain. Wonder what made him miss the bus on this one. He reminds men of nagging wives, especially since he works for a bigger evil, the mother-in-law (minister).

All there is to this mish-mash gravy is Amitabh. As the veteran cop trying his best weed out the crooks, he's shown the tenacity of a Vijay Chauhan in Agneepath and the ferocity of the Tiger in Hum. The movie was clearly made only for him, and that's a huge plus.

Ajay Devgan and Aishwarya are grossly wasted. Akshay and Tusshar do the best they can. The terrorist chap has also given a splendid performance (that fantastic actor from Chandni Bar).

A typical Bollywood drag, what saves Khaakee from the pits is Amitabh. His sheer brilliance makes this flick rise above the average.