HIMMATWALA
(12A, 150 mins) 
One star
Starring Ajay Devgan, Tammana Bhatia, Paresh Rawal. Director: Sajid Khan

It is always an uphill task for any filmmaker to remake a classic. Director Sajid Khan has taken the huge responsibility of recreating K Raghavendra Rao’s timeless Eighties action drama Himmatwala featuring the ‘Jumping Jack’ Jeetendra and the iconic screen diva Sridevi.

Though the film was a huge hit at the box-office, Himmatwala is mostly remembered for its lavish sets, outlandish action scenes and a mesmerising soundtrack featuring the huge hit Naino Mein Sapna. So it comes as no surprise that Sajid Khan has included the song in the remake and has used it as his main marketing tool.

Himmatwala narrates the story of Ajay Devgan, who returns to the village where his father was wrongly accused of robbery. The main culprit is the head of the village (Mahesh Manjrekar). While battling with the village goons in an attempt to get to their boss, he meets the beautiful Tammanah.

The overall ambience of Himmatwala is very similar to the older version, and you can see Khan desperately trying to recreate the Eighties decade with over-emotional facial expressions, dazzlingly colourful sets and delivery of dialogue in very high decibels. Put into the mix the typical hero/villain conflict prevalent in the Eighties as well as a high dosage of intense masculine divergence, one would assume Khan has delivered a winner.

Unfortunately, that is not the case. The fact that Himmatwala has been totally rejected by the audience in its first week of release is evidence of how bad a film Khan has delivered. Void of any form of entertainment throughout the tedious two and a half hours, Himmatwala is a major letdown and a lesson to any filmmakers on how not to recreate a classic of Indian cinema.

Irfan Ajeeb - Beyond The Mango