Cast: Ajay Devgn, Bhumika Chawla, Sameera Reddy, Rahul Dev, Yashpal Sharma, Sharat Saxena, Rajpal Yadav, Vijay Raaz and others
Director: Anees Bazmee
Back in the ’90s & early 2000s, Bollywood delivered several blockbusters where the sole purpose of films were to entertain without getting into logic or social messages. Yes, sometimes they were cringe, cheesy as well as problematic but we can’t deny it had all the fun elements.
Now, talking about Ajay Devgn ’s much-delayed movie Naam, which was supposed to release in 2002 but got postponed due to the demise of one of the producers of the movie. As the film is set to hit the screens tomorrow, let’s see whether it is one of those typical 90 & 00s Bollywood movies, which keeps you entertained without stressing about logical things.
Naam starts with a chase sequence where a group of mafias chase the character of Ajay Devgn and as they shoot him he falls in the sea. Shyamlal (Vijay Raaz) finds him on the shore and admits him to the hospital. After the operation when all the bullets from his body are removed, Dr Pooja (Bhumika Chawla) asks about his name and he is not able to recall.
He falls in love with Pooja and cut-to we see their lives after three years, where they are happily married and settled in Manali with his name as Shekhar and living together along with Muskaan, who is Pooja’s daughter with his first husband, who died.
While everything is smooth and easy, Shekhar’s past continues to haunt him as some of the glimpses keep coming in front of him. In a sudden turn of events, he and his family are attacked a mafia group and with his past instincts, he not only tackles them but hunts them down.
Now, as he realizes that he has some kind of association with mafias in the past, which can be dangerous for his life, he flies to Mumbai to know about his real identity and how he is linked with the underworld.
So, what is Shekhar’s real identity? Is he a professional killer or something else? Well, you have to watch Naam for that.
As I said before, considering the film is 22 years old, I enjoyed the typical Bollywood nostalgia which has typical twists and turns, which are not solid but dramatic and enjoyable. The best part of the movie is that throughout 135 minutes there was not a boring moment. It had all the elements of a commercial potboiler with a dash of action sequences, comical scenes along with emotional elements.
Talking about the performances, Ajay Devgn is in his signature intense avatar and his avatar is a treat to his fans. Bhumika Chawla and Sameera Reddy have performed their characters well. Rahul Dev looks underutilized while the camaraderie between Rajpal Yadav and Vijay Raaz is a treat thanks to their bang-on comic timing.
On the whole, Naam is a treat to cinegoers, who still enjoy typical 90s & 00s Bollywood entertainers.
Rating: 3.5 (out of 5 stars)
Naam is set to release on 22nd November