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Armaan Movie
Review
Aarti Enterprises' ARMAAN, with Honey Irani at
the helm of affairs, takes you back in time with
its age-old storyline. Set against the backdrop
of a hospital, this particular venture takes you
on to an emotional ride of sacrifices.
Amitabh Bachchan [Dr. Sinha], a philanthropist,
has a dream. A dream to make his hospital one of
the best equipped, with state-of-the-art
machinery and instruments. His adopted son Anil
Kapoor [Akash Sinha], a neurosurgeon, shares his
father's dream.
As the father-son go about doing their jobs, a
vacant post of an anesthetist is filled in by
Gracy Singh [Neha]. After the initial hiccups in
their relationship, the two eventually fall in
love.
Enters Preity Zinta [Soniya Kapoor], a
super-rich and arrogant young woman, who is used
to getting things done her way by hook or by
crook. However, this young lady also has shades
of compassion.
In a chance encounter at a party, Preity meets
Anil Kapoor. And gradually with time she finds
that he is the man she wants, come what may.
Meanwhile, an oblivious Anil Kapoor and Gracy
Singh share some close moments together.
But just as things seem to be going smoothly, a
dramatic incident changes everything. Amitabh
Bachchan, who is already suffering from high
stress levels, dies in an attempt to save an
injured child.
Now Anil Kapoor has only one goal in his life –
to fulfil his father's dream. And also to save
the hospital from the financial crunch. Then
come the sacrifices.
In an agreement, Anil Kapoor agrees to marry
Priety Zinta and in turn, her father [Randhir
Kapoor] fulfils all demands related to the
hospital, while a hapless Gracy Singh signs as
one of the witnesses in their marriage. The rest
of the story deals with the turmoil of the three
main characters.
The story is the weakest link of this
enterprise; even the mammoth star cast could do
precious little to salvage it. It offers the
same formula-ridden twists and turns and those
orthodox sacrifices. The goings-on are outright
predictable and the execution has nothing novel
to offer.
Director Honey Irani does make a valiant
attempt. There are certain scenes that touch
your heart, especially that scene where Amitabh
Bachchan makes that sprint to the hospital to
save the child. But such scenes are few and far
between. Also, the film is very slow-paced,
which mars the impact to a major extent.
The death of Amitabh Bachchan seems forced. You
wonder for a second that a doctor of his status
can't contact his hospital in an emergency and
has to personally lift the injured child and
run, more baffling in the age of cell-phones.
Priety Zinta's role looks confusing. She does
look a spoilt brat, but the way she transforms
herself after her marriage to Anil Kapoor lacks
justification. Ditto in the climax.
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's music serves as a soothing
balm, but is not enough to elevate the film.
Cinematography is nothing much to talk about,
very ordinary at times. The dialogues are a
mixed bag, at times excellent and at times
melodramatic.
It's the performances that are the saving grace
of the film. Leading the way is Amitabh Bachchan,
who's simply brilliant. Preity Zinta comes up
with another superb performance, essaying her
part with utmost sincerity. Anil Kapoor, playing
a surgeon torn between love and loyalty, is
another performer who does justice to his role,
while Gracy Singh shows immense promise. Randhir
Kapoor is alright.
On the whole, ARMAAN leaves a lot to be desired.
The content of the film does not match the heavy
star cast, which in turn will tell on its
business.
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