 The
world premiere of Agni Varsha took place in Manchester at the launch
of the Commonwealth Film Festival.
Sold
as a Bollywood film, (probably because of its current craze), The
Fire and the Rain was quite unlike the average commercial Indian
film.
The
film tells the story of a land in the grip of a ten year drought,
where villagers will do anything to please the Gods, who'll make
it rain.
Jackie
Shroff plays Chief Priest Paravisu who's sacrificed everything for
the last seven years devoting his time solely to religion.
Raveena
Tandon is his frustrated wife Vishakha, who's old lover Yavakri
(Nagarjuna) is still keen to get her into bed, even though she's
now married to his cousin and he left her for ten years. The cheek
of some people!
Light
relief from Yavakri's revenge plots come in the form of Milind Soman
as Paravisu's younger brother Aravisu and his girlfriend Nittalai
(Sonali Kulkarni) who are worried about how they convince their
parents to let them get married to each other, even though they're
from different casts.
The
film can sometimes drag, however the performances are its real saving
graces. The roles that the cast have played in this movie are definitely
unlike any they have previously played.
Jackie
Shroff has now been relegated to playing the friend, father, older
brother type roles but as Paravisu, he shows that if given the right
role, he still has what it takes.
Both
women have displayed a range of emotions instead of the glamorous
roles Sonali and especially Raveena are known for.
Amitabh
Bachchan has a special appearance in the film, more as a favour
to Director friend Arjun Sajnani than for any creative desire, having
said that, it can't be bad playing God.
Milind
Soman was an absolute delight to watch and not just because of his
Greek God looks. The model turned actor's been struggling to get
a decent role for a while now and whether the movie does well or
not, he's definitely going to get noticed for his sensitive performance
as the naive simpleton.
The
story is based on the Mahabharat and is a mythological drama. This
is enough to put the avid bollywood fan to sleep. However there
are some points that might get bums on seats: a) There's snogging
in it and b) Prabhudeva (or the Indian Michael Jackson) plays a
very camp demon, complete with green eyeshadow and very small shorts!
A must see.
Although
packaged wrong, the film does manage to cover many themes and also
gets its point across effectively.
However,
don't expect it to be light and fluffy just because it features
songs and has a star cast. If it had to be labeled than Agni Varsha
would definitely sit more comfortably in the Art film category.
However
once you've got past the fact that you might have to think, you
actually start to enjoy the movie.
Shamaila
Khan
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you agree with Shamaila's review? Tell
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