Nigehbaan

Cop stories aren't new for Bollywood. KHAKEE, DEV, AAN, POLICE FORCE... A number of film-makers have depicted the police-politician-underworld nexus time and again.

Dilip Shankar's NIGEHBAAN is yet another addition to the list of cop films. Although Dilip Shankar has treated the subject well, the problem lies in the fact that subjects such as these have been done to death.

From the police-politician-underworld nexus to extortion to encounters, NIGEHBAAN incorporates everything that one expects from a crime flick.

Vikram [Sameer Dharmadhikari] is a fiery super sleuth who is assigned the job of exterminating hardcore criminals. Nisha [Sandali Sinha] is a human rights activist, who takes up the cause of innocent victims of the politics-police-underworld atrocities.

Though diametrically positioned in their professional lives, they are attracted towards each other and consequently decide to marry.

 

The truth about Vikram's real identity as a ruthless cop gradually unleashes as Nisha's raakhi-brother Rohit is killed accidentally. She is out to intercept the killer and when she does zero in, she is shattered.

Nisha is faced with a dilemma, either expose the man she loves and lose him forever, fight for the dignity of humanity and values she believes in or come to terms with her brother's death.

In recent times, when cop films have been released in rapid succession, NIGEHBAAN offers no novelty whatsoever. The only interesting aspect of the film is the conflict between the husband and wife [post-interval]. Also, the dialogues [Sayyed Sultan] are soaked in acid and a few sequences get a major boost due to the fiery, provocative lines.

Director Dilip Shankar treads on the same path [like his first film KAALCHAKRA] and though he has handled a few sequences expertly, the film lacks that hammer-strong impact due to an oft-repeated theme. A few sequences are aimed at the gallery [like the Akhilendra Mishra-Sayaji Shinde confrontation] and would appeal to the hardcore masses.

The songs [Himesh Reshammiya], although well tuned, seem forced in the narrative because NIGEHBAAN is primarily a crime film and romantic situations/songs don't have much scope in a film like this. Also, the rendition [voice] for Sameer and Sandali in 'Ki Kara' number doesn't suit their personalities/characters.

Sameer does an able job and the tanned look goes well with his character. Sandali Sinha does a decent job. The film has a number of character actors of which Ehsaan Khan [don], Akhilendra Mishra [politician], Dinesh Thakur [mediator] and Govind Namdeo [DCP] stand out. Ashok Samarth [rival don] is excellent. Anjala Zaveri, in an item song, sizzles.

On the whole, NIGEHBAAN is an honest attempt, but lack of publicity and the fact that it has been released with multiple releases will make the effort go unnoticed.