Commando Movie Review by Joginder Tuteja

Commando Review by Indicine critic Joginder Tuteja

Raw and unbelievable action with Vidyut Jamwal at the centre of affairs – This is what defines Commando which is indeed a game changer that Bollywood was searching for in the times when
everything was being sold in the name of masala. Now this one too is masala but in a recipe that has been put together for today’s audience. Of course there are a few ingredients indeed that remind one of the cinema of yore. However, debutant director Dilip Ghosh keeps it simple by ensuring that the film walks straight on one line and delivers more than what it promised.

This means that right from the beginning to the end, it is action that rules, and that too the kind that justifes the characterisation of the central protagonist being that of a Commando. The kickstart is just right with a Colonel (Darshan Zariwala) giving an excellent account of what a Commando really stands for. The stage is set, and with Jaideep Ahlawat emerging as a strong villain of the piece, the battle field is laid out for the protagonist and the antagonist to take on each other. In the middle of these two men, there is a damsel in distress (Pooja Chopra) who makes sure that she does much more than a couple of songs and an emotional scene.

What one gets to see eventually is a film which follows the plain and simple formula of – Ek tha hero, ek thi heroine and ek tha villain! With hero and heroine on the run and villain chasing them both, what one also ends up remembering (and in good abundance) is Koyla. Just like the Rakesh Roshan directed affair which had Shahrukh Khan saving Madhuri Dixit from an indecent proposal by local baddie Amrish Puri, Vidyut too has a task in hand. What adds on to further similarity is the jungle setting, what with a river, a fall down the cliff and then friendly neighborhood villagers helping the hero lending a sense of deja vu.

However, despite these being comon elements that are hard to ignore, what keeps the momentum intact for Commando is not just the film’s action but also several dramatic portions which have an element of humour added as well, courtesy Jaideep. His jokes and happy-go-lucky persona, despite being a villain, give him an edge of stereotypical villain, especially the kind that Prakash Raj had started seeming of late. Moreover, his dialoguebaazi with Vidyut are the kind that keep masses engaged.

However what one remembers most are Vidyut’s action sequences tha come up at regular intervals without turning repetitive. So right from the one set on a bus stand to the one atop a bridge to the ones that take place in a jungle to the one with a firang mercenary and then the finale where everything boils down to a dozen odd slaps, there is good entertainment in motion as Vidyut takes on the baddies. Meanwhile Pooja makes sure that she comes across as a confident debutant, especially in the light hearted scenes where she is a complete natural. Yes, during drama portions she comes across as a tad filmy but then one has to consider the fact that she is just starting in the industry.

Of course from the script perspective, one can challenge the relative ease with which the hero wins the battle. However that could well be termed as cinematic liberty as producer Vipul Shah was clear from the beginning that it was action that he intended to sell with Vidyut as the body carrying it. No wonder, the romantic number that comes out of nowhere is a complete no-no and so is the forced item number towards the pre-climax.

At the box office, the film has seen a wide release for itself, eecially of one considers the fact that it doesn’t feature stars. With a fair start all over and some good numbers coming in from single screens, the film has good chance to consolidate it’s place in days to come. Though at multiplexes it doesn’t really stand much chance due to competition from Nautanki Saala, word of mouth should ensure that the film makes a good recovery for sure and also bring in some profits.

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