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Rediff, calls HATYAR:after DISMISSING SJAKTI for VOILENCE!!
Sanju's shot in the dark
Hathiyar gives you no respite from the action and violence:
Violence is the way of life in Mahesh Manjrekar's Hathiyar, a sequel to his 1999 hit Vaastav (which, like Hathiyar was also released in the second week of October in 1999).
If life in Vaastav was suffocating, it is intolerable in Hathiyar.
One bone of contention I have with this movie is that for those who have not seen Vaastav, Hathiyar may seem incomprehensible and confusing. Also, the script is jammed with too many flashbacks which do not add to the narrative in this film.
The pace of the film is super fast. There is no time to breathe, gasp, feel, absorb, react, relate. Bat an eyelid and you will miss four funerals and Rohit aka Boxer bhai's wedding to Gauri (an impressive Shilpa Shetty reduced to a bit role).
Though Hathiyar is no milestone in Sanjay Dutt's career, as was Vaastav, he lends vulnerability to Boxer. It is perhaps because of his own personal crisis that his eyes automatically exude hurt and helplessness, which blend with his character in the film. For trivia buffs, Dutt also starred in the earlier Hathiyar made by J P Dutta.
Vaastav essentially worked because of Raghu's superb characterisation. Hathiyar's Rohit is sketchy. Sanjay Dutt's transition in Vaastav from an unassuming guy to a killer machine was strategically portrayed. In Hathiyar, the metamorphosis lacks conviction and emotional appeal. There are stray moments where Dutt succumbs to melodrama. Like when he shoots his best friend (Sachin Khedekar) in a fit of jealousy and later repents in a drunken state.
Hathiyar does not have a storyline, if you look for it. The narration is episodic. And gives you no respite from the relentless action and violence. One scene show Gulshan Grover's severely battered head with the brains hanging out. How morbid is that? The sound editor seems to have had a field day with this movie.
Manjrekar seems to have completed this film in a rush. The movie has potential --- delving into the psyche of a gangster's son and family. Here, he merely skims the surface, making Hathiyar no different from regular mindless action flicks. Manjrekar does thread the characters of Raghu and Boxer. Like his father, Boxer sports flashy gold chains and rings and enjoys carrom. He, too, is hot-headed, sarcastic and drinks like a fish.
One thing has to be said: the climax lacks the novelty and unexpectedness of Vaastav. And Rohit justifies his tragic past with a trite, 'I wasn't born like this.'
In sum, Hathiyar is like a shot in the dark. Aimless. It neither preaches nor entertains.
****No AWARD for SANJU BABA!? this YEAR!!?
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h: ) i'm afraid that he probably did something stupid like sanjay dutt's son grows up and looks like him and becomes a BHAI like his father also. i wouldn't be surprised if they did something like that...some of these indian directors don't take cinema so seriously...all they care about is makin quick bucks! 
:angry:
