Maximum: No Need to Rush

Of all the films they had to choose this one to fit in Aa ante Amalapuram. Sigh!!Two corrupt encounter specialists, one trying to settle old scores and the other ambitious to get to the top are vying for maximum power to be wielded through their own hands in this cop film. As far as cop films go, this one has an interesting premise but that’s about that. Once the setup is done away with, there is little to look forward to except the denouement. 

The sworn enemies never face each other nor even try to make the other’s life difficult. With all the smugness it can muster, Kabeer Kaushik’s direction but still appears lackadaisical with deliberately slow pacing, painful pauses and shallow dialogue trying too hard but failing to make any sort of impact. The action never really kicks off and there is no pace or sharpness in the narrative. In fact the film does not even have to run for its 106 minute length to let the two kill each other. Real life incidents could have been the reason for this as the director tried to put in more transfers through ranks and mandatory political conspiracy towards the end. The 26/11 backdrop does not have any real shock value too. 

One of the positives the film offers though is the brilliant acting in a underwritten role by Nazeeruddin Shah. He would have done this film a world of good if some of the seething shown in the film was more towards his director for his inability to come up with interesting sequences. Sonu Sood appears earnest and works with whatever he got while Vinay Pathak goes through the motions. Neha Dhupia has that Hey- I’m- gonna- die- in- the- next- scene look, but she is passable and her sarees are a surprise atleast for me. No Sheesha moments certainly. 

This film had potential and it was frustrating to see it unfold in the way it did. Even with all the enthusiasm and class of the cast, the end product misses the mark by quite a distance.