STORY: In Mumbai, the lives of several members of the crime family of Thakurs is suddenly under threat as rival gangs and goons gang up against them and launch a deadly attack on the patriarch Kalidas Thakur (Mahesh V. Manjrekar) and his younger son, Devidas (Vidyut Jammwal). In what ways this thick-as-thieves family unit navigates these unprecedented times and the bonds they break along the way is how ‘The Power’ can be best described.
REVIEW: The Thakurs are a powerful clan in Mumbai – with guns silencing naysayers and backstabbers alike – and police influence and political connections paving the path for their illegal businesses and unjustified killings. The head of the family, Kalidas Thakur, had come to Mumbai from an undisclosed hamlet along with his then mate Rana (Sachin Khedekar) with the sole intent of ruling over the city. Thakur succeeds, Rana’s the second best. And a cold war ensues between the party in power (not literally!) and all those anxiously waiting to dethrone the man.
‘The Power’ is an offshoot of greed coupled with betrayal, love coupled with vengeance and family ties riddled with jealousy.
Mahesh V. Manjrekar has penned and directed this crime/revenge saga keeping – we are assuming – the underlying theme that hatred is never an answer in mind. The heart of the movie is in the right place but the manner in which the story has been laid out in front of its viewers is extremely uninspiring. First, considering it’s a feature film and not a web show, a huge amount of time is dedicated to hyping up the central theme, which, frankly, can be deemed unnecessary so much so that after a while even the high-octane action sequences and emotionally-charged scenes cannot keep you hooked. Secondly, in terms of acting, not everyone’s performed – while Vidyut holds his own as the calm and calculative Devi, Shruti lacks the conviction of a bereaved daughter seeking vendetta from her wrongdoers. Sure, the actress exudes the simple-girl-charm effortlessly, but falls short in rendering believable expressions both in charged-up parts as well as physical confrontations. Manjrekar may have presented a humdrum tale of a movie but as Kalidas, he commands respect – not just from his stooges, but also us… the audience!
Having said that – without a shadow of a doubt – Vidyut Jammwal is his usual top-notch self in the action department, but too many slo-mos spoil the broth. And for those who follow action movies religiously, it is safe to say that the background score plays a crucial role in heightening the drama, but sadly, that is not the case with this one. Also, the ‘mere baba kehte the…’ style of anecdotal scriptwriting has been the USP of every gunda-mawali movie there ever was. Only problem? It’s not the 90s and this technique of dialogue delivery doesn’t resonate: passé and lacks gravitas.
With a tighter, finer screenplay and more consistent performers, ‘The Power’ could have been a befitting response of this decade to the ‘Sarkar’ franchise but a lacklustre narrative, among other things, brings the power down to level zero.
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