New Delhi: Bollywood directors have found a hit formula in remaking the old classics. From 'Don' to 'Agneepath', the remakes of Amitabh Bachchan's films have worked wonders for the directors as well as the fans in the past. But there are a few films that should be left untouched and Prakash Mehra's 1973 cult 'Zanjeer' is one of them. The film that made Amitabh Bachchan an overnight star with his 'angry young man' image is still etched in the hearts and minds of his fans. And, when a bad rip off of the cult happens, there is bound to be a complete shut down by the fans.
And, that's what exactly happened with Apoorva Lakhia's recently released film 'Zanjeer'. Despite roping in a bevy of good actors in the film, the director could not do justice to the plot as most of the actors were simply put into the wrong shoes.
Telugu superstar Ram Charan tries to put up a decent act by playing ACP Vijay Khanna, but the actor considerably fails to come even an inch closer to the 'angry young man' image. It's only his biceps that do the talking in most of the scenes. With Amitabh Bachchan's baritone and some great lines penned by Javed Akhtar, 1973 'Zanjeer' was high on great performance and some superb punch lines. But the new film is not just low in terms of performance, but also brings out the most sleazy and double meaning verbatim between Teja (Prakash Raj) and Mona Darling (Mahie Gill).
And, if this was not enough, Priyanka Chopra adds to the misery by playing an NRI girl who goes overboard with her overacting in almost all the scenes. Without taking even a single pause in any of her dialogues she can just make you cringe with her acting skills. If Priyanka was way too much for her character, Sanjay Dutt just balances it with his bored-out-of-wits performance.
With a weak storyline and some boring performances by the actors, 'Zanjeer' has not just received thumbs down from the fans, but also been slammed by most of the film critics. Read on to know what they think...
Rajeev Masand of CNN IBN writes, "The new 'Zanjeer' isn't just a bad film, it's a shameless exercise in laziness. As anyone who watches movies for a living will tell you, there's some merit to be found even in awful films...a nicely picturised song perhaps, or a decent performance from a random supporting actor, possibly a relevant message buried somewhere in the mess. But I'm afraid there's nothing polite that can be said about 'Zanjeer'."
Anupama Chopra says, "That Zanjeer was a classic. This remake is wrong on so many levels that I don't know where to begin. This isn't a film. It's sacrilege."
Raja Sen too takes a dig at Sanjay Dutt and writes, "The words 'Sanjay Dutt as Sher Khan' might have struck fear into some of your hearts, and I'm here to reassure you that the result is exactly as woebegone as it sounds. Dutt sleepwalks through Pran's iconic role, looking demented during the Yaari hai imaan dance and lazy the rest of the time, even during fight scenes."
Mihir Fadnavis of FirstPost writes, "If you thought Priyanka Chopra couldn't do anything more embarrassing than Exotic, you're in for a real surprise. She plays a rich NRI who flies to India to attend a Facebook friend's wedding, does an item number at said wedding and becomes the surrogate wife of a police officer she meets a day later. She does bubbly, she does Pinky, she does slapstick, she does quirky and she does cute, all at once. Maybe her character is a parable of the human condition, or an allegory of psychic intervention, or social commentary regarding the existence of bipolar serial killers breeding in our midst. I have no idea."
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