By:Omair Alavi Sanjay Dutt – the He-Man of Bollywood – is back with Bhoomi; however, the pace of the film, the lackluster direction, and the tried-and-tested plot makes it a bust, instead of a hit. It is one of those films where the loyal audience goes to watch their favourite actor and comes back content,…
SAMAA | Omair Alavi – Posted: Sep 29, 2017 | Last Updated: 4 years ago
By:Omair Alavi
Sanjay Dutt – the He-Man of Bollywood – is back with Bhoomi; however, the pace of the film, the lackluster direction, and the tried-and-tested plot makes it a bust, instead of a hit. It is one of those films where the loyal audience goes to watch their favourite actor and comes back content, without wasting time on the nitty-gritty of filmmaking.
The Plot
Arun (Sanjay Dutt) loves his daughter Bhoomi (Aditi Rao Hydari) more than anything in the world and preparations for her wedding were in full swing when three people drugged and raped her in a cinema. Arun took the three to court but due to lack of evidence, the case was dismissed. The neighbours blame Bhoomi for whatever happened to her; however, when the father-daughter duo find out that someone they trusted betrayed them, they spring into revenge mode. Do they manage to avenge the rape or do they fail, watch the film to know more.
The Good
Sanjay Dutt is the saving grace of the film as he gets to show his acting prowess – he cries when his daughter gets lost, he drives the bad guys nuts with his walk and stare and finally gets to fight like the old Sanju. Aditi Rao Hydari gives an improved performance, however, there is no justification as to why she stammers or how she manages to fight back when her dad is in the revenge mode. I have been a fan of Sharad Kelkar since Hero and he manages to do well here as well, making all hate him for being the antagonist. Yes, he isn’t an actor who can stand in front of Sanjay Dutt but with powerful vocals and dialogue delivery, he is the complete package.
The Bad
The film has more negatives than positives and the biggest negative is the direction of Umang Kumar. The director may have won awards for his previous work but here he fails badly. There is no sense in placing the interval, starting the second half with an illogical item number and finally, delaying the punch that would have saved this film from going bust. Then there was the selection of Shekar Suman as his friend, a failed actor who fails whenever he makes a comeback and Bhoomi is no different. The songs could have saved the film but the soundtrack isn’t something to remember by, apart from Will You Marry Me song, where surprisingly, the leading lady doesn’t stammer.
Verdict – 1.5/5
Unlike the films released this year, Bhoomi is a step back in time when a girl was supposed to stay at home rather than work and be bold. The message the film delivers is a wonderful one but sadly, it arrives excessively late – either the audience had left by then or they were too bored to notice it. The dialogues that were used in the trailer were the only ones that were good enough for a recall, otherwise, there was nothing else in this revenge saga to take back home. Yes, it’s a Sanjay Dutt film where he fights for the honour of his daughter but it could have been made better, different and above all, more interest.
