The sadness, the inability to do anything is so palpable in the scene -- that one tends to forget he is the same Anil Kapoor who did a 'Tezaab', or 'Ram Lakhan', or even a 'Nayak: The Real Hero'.
Perhaps it's the ignominy of his oeuvre consistently consisting of movies produced by his family members -- first his father Surinder Kapoor, and then his older brother Boney, or him being totally 'real' in his dealings with the off-centre Bollywood, he was seldom taken seriously. This despite his filmography -- in his early years -- boasting of names like 'Woh Saat Din', 'Eeshwar', 'Tezaab', 'Pukar', 'Virasat', and 'Lamhe' among others. But Anil Kapoor has always been a toughie -- so much so that despite the towering presence of the Khans, the Kumars and the Devgns, and visibly a less number of multi-crore movies, he is now a force to reckon with, an actor who commands attention and a goofball who can even put the younger generation to shame.
Was it his conviction to pull off any role with elan, or his focussed attention to detail that he made through the tirade of the movies of the 1990s, and shone like the brightest star? Or was it simply what he brought to the scripts he worked on? For example, 'Welcome' is not the greatest comedy Anees Bazmee has helmed. And 'Majnu Bhai' is not his best character. But Anil Kapoor's demeanour of the madcap added to the craziness of the entire narrative.
Anil Kapoor's breakthrough performance came long before his impersonation of Majnu Bhai -- in 'Pukar' in the year 2000.
There is a kind of persecution in his eyes -- the kind he has been dealt with through out his career.
There are two different sets of Anil Kapoor that exist in the movie -- the first is a full-of-life brat, who accomplishes his ambition of becoming a commissioned officer in the Indian Army, and successfully woos a Miss India, while the second is a fallen hero, a victim, and more than that, a survivour. AK aced both the parts in a portrayal that got him the first National Award of his career.
There are two different sets of Anil Kapoor that exist in the movie -- the first is a full-of-life brat, who accomplishes his ambition of becoming a commissioned officer in the Indian Army.
Anil Kapoor's Jai falls victim to a conspiracy, aided by his close friend played by Madhuri Dixit. The entire gamut of emotions that he presents on screen before and after the conspiracy breaks out takes the narrative notches higher.
Anil Kapoor's Jai falls victim to a conspiracy, aided by his close friend played by Madhuri Dixit.
Much of the credit of the movie's grandiose goes to Rajkumar Santoshi. Not only did he infuse his years of experience -- that ranges from female-centric movies and hard-hitting social dramas to rib-tickling comedies -- into the premise and structure of the movie, he also gave Anil Kapoor one of the best roles of his career.
The court martial scene in the climactic sequence of the movie particularly is an exemplar of Anil Kapoor's brilliance on screen. Jai is devastated as the charges of treason surface, and he cannot prove his innocence at the court of law. He is helpless; and emotional. He has tears in his eyes, but his duty reckons him to stand still -- even when a mother slaps him because she believes he got his son killed, and even when the "stars" he earned by virtue of his valour and love for his country are torn away from his uniform.
He has been written off for years; often underrated -- to the extent of being devalued. And he took on every critique, each reproval head on -- just like he did in 'Pukar'.
His tears fall down, but he cannot. And the helplessness shows on his face.
His childhood friend, Anjali, who perpetrated this treason in order to stop his wedding with the beauty pageant winner stands there crying, and feeling ashamed of what she did. And unbenownst to this, Jai stands there -- helpless, with his uniform and dignity all torn to shreds.
The sadness, the inability to do anything is so palpable in the scene -- that one tends to forget he is the same Anil Kapoor who did a 'Tezaab', or 'Ram Lakhan', or even a 'Nayak: The Real Hero'.
There is a kind of persecution in his eyes -- the kind he has been dealt with through out his career. He has been written off for years; often underrated -- to the extent of being devalued. And he took on every critique, each reproval head on -- just like he did in 'Pukar'.
In the later scenes, Jai fights the villain and ensures he sees an end to the warcry.
In the later half of his career -- after 'Pukar', Anil Kapoor has fought all notions of stardom and ensured he saw an end to the "warcry" -- over his skillset and superstardom. He has never played safe -- he is perhaps the only actor to have done all genres of films, churning out blockbusters after blockbusters, and THE only star to have carried a moustache throughout his career.
And to top it, he -- even at the age of 63 -- looks like a complete SNACC ;)
And to top everything, he -- even at the age of 63 -- looks like a complete SNACC ;)
On Anil Kapoor's 63rd birthday, India TV Recommends 'Pukar' for one of his best performances, Rajkumar Santoshi's storytelling, and for the sheer pleasure of watching a perfectly made mainstream movie with a dash of patriotism.
