Azaan Review

Overall Aazaan may have its own limitations when it comes to consistency and sheer ease of narrative. However ultimately it is a fresh new tale being told which does leave an impression, courtesy some sleek visuals and grandeur with an out and out Hollywood treatment.

Aazaan Khan (Sachiin Joshi) is a RAW agent who has been sent on a mission to stop a global terrorist (Sajid Hassan) from spreading a biological weapon of mass destruction. In his journey, he is required to travel the globe, find his missing brother, come across his beloved, remember his past, unearth a global conspiracy, come face to face with a traitor, kill a few people, fight his own inner demons, ensure that the sanctity of his religion is maintained and then make the ultimate sacrifice.

Aazaan starts off very well. The prologue is set up beautifully with human bombs being placed at a peace convention, hence establishing the power that this virus carries. The film moves at a feverish pace; however this is where the entire attention factor comes into picture because the pace is so fast that one is bound to miss out on continuity if at all there is even a momentary lapse of concentration. Even for a discerning viewer though, there are places in the film where geographical shifts happen so fast that you tend to lose the connect.

In fact there is slight trouble in the early part of the film's second half where Candice Boucher, film's leading lady, is introduced. Her love story with Sachiin is not just half baked, it also doesn't engage you as an audience. Also, just when the drama had intensified and one would have felt that Sachiin's hunt for the antidote would intensify; a couple of songs - though well tuned - break the film's momentum.

However things do perk up in the last 30 odd minutes when the film returns to it's core theme. It is apparent that Prashant has an eye for visuals and he likes to shoot his films in a grand canvas and style. So whether it is the desert shots or the highway action or the sequences that lead to the climax, you do nod in appreciation with the classy manner in which the series of events unfold.

What further accentuates the overall appeal here is the background score by Salim-Sulaiman who lend a Hollywood-ish feel to the narrative. Also, a special word for cinematography here. It is outstanding and lends the film a very rich look. Frankly, the kind of money that has been spent on the film is quite visible in every film. However one wishes that the film's overall narrative too was as consistent as the look, styling and action here.

Sachiin is well aware about where his strengths and weaknesses lie. Hence he plays around them while concentrating more on action than the emotional quotient. He carries a good body language and looks convincing as a government sponsored assassin. He restricts himself when it comes to the dramatic quotient while his romantic side is near to non-existent. Candice looks good but has an inconsequential role while making a brief appearance. Ravi Kissen and Aly Khan are decent though one would have expected Arya Babbar to have bigger presence. Sajid Hassan as the main villain 'Doctor' is good.

You have to be attentive, in fact very attentive while watching Aazaan. Reason being that it shifts so many locations, introduces so many characters and has a new episode taking shape practically every 10 minutes that there are chances of something being missed out or risk not being comprehended if one takes a break. Of course not every episode/sequence may be enticing enough but for the large part of it, Aazaan ensures that you watch the drama unfold, if not for anything else then it's slick action and visuals.

Rating : ***