Pratik Gandhi and Divyenndu's 'Agni' movie review: Rahul Dholakia's ode to the unsung heroes goes beyond the flames

Cast: Pratik Gandhi, Divyenndu, Saiyami Kher, Sai Tamhankar, Jitendra Joshi

Director: Rahul Dholakia

Language: Hindi

The tricky part about reviewing films about unsung heroes is that we are supposed to praise them even before we watch them. We are expected to laud the selfless spirit of these people, choke at the callousness of the system that repeatedly fails to recognize their tireless efforts, and swell with pride towards the end, with the climax milking all possible melodramatic sentiments. It’s a trope and there’s no way to escape, specifically in the Hindi language landscape. But writer Vijay Maurya and director Rahul Dholakia surprisingly manage to make their new film Agni work, despite what we know as cliches. If you look at the poster, there are four fire fighters and one cop. The film often showcases the tug of war between the two unsung heroes who might be fighting for the same cause. The means are the opposite, the results are the same.

There’s a good few seconds of silence and darkness between the first scene and the last bit of the opening credits. Despite the short runtime of 124 minutes, the film is never in a rush to get things done. There’s a difference between getting to the point and rushing to the point, and Agni understands that well. Even the introduction of the characters feels rightly done and not in a haste. The VFX may be hit and miss, but there’s a certain sense of claustrophobia and chaos to be sensed and felt once these heroes jump into the Agni to save lives. Taking center stage is the effortless Pratik Gandhi, whose scowling neatly blends with the restlessness of the story.

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His lungs have begun to give up, his son idolizes his super cop uncle (Divyenndu, bringing the house down again), and he’s also trapped in the battles of the personal and political. But he gets his most relaxed and comfortable scenes with his wife Sai Tamhankar. Unlike most of the films of such nature about obscure people where wives are usually the second antagonists, we get a friend for someone we want to root for. When she gets a bucket of cold water for her husband, we feel the pain in the muscles gradually fade away. It’s almost immersive.

Why Agni?

The title suggests more things than one. It’s a homage, it’s metaphorical, it also represents mayhem. Saiyami Kher’s restrained turn is replete with anger and defeat, but also fuelled by undying determination. In one scene, she tells her fiancée to crack a joke that can be funnier than the system. In most of the films, we mostly get two sides of the same coin- the good and the bad. In Agni, Dholakia goes a step ahead and displays various shades and sides of that very coin. We have the righteous, the wronged, the callous, the corrupt, and the grey. Divyennu’s character is an attempt to tick most of the aforementioned boxes. For a change, it was good to see a cop not bogged down by his financial frustrations. It’s hard to describe this officer. He could actually fit into the world of both Rohit Shetty and Prakash Jha.

Going beyond the flames

The film makes an attempt to peep into these people’s lives outside the flames. Take Gandhi’s character for instance; he’s a fearless firefighter but also burning with jealousy as his brother-in-law is climbing on top like an arrow from a bow. His partner in crime is Jitendra Joshi, and their drunken conversations at a seedy bar establish their miseries and melancholy. And a policeman on the road recognizes him only because he’s related to this cop. Sharma and Gandhi’s love-hate relationship and brisk performances not only ignite the film but also deflate the dramatic tension that otherwise looms large throughout. A family dinner at a Chinese restaurant is the scene-stealer. The waitress correcting Sharma on the restaurant’s name is the clincher.

What sets Rahul Dholakia apart from the other filmmakers is how he makes the circumstances around people the villains of his creations. Be it the riots in Parzania, terrorism in Lamha, or unrest in Raees. Here, it’s Agni. The name is the nemesis of the story’s heroes. But to give a little bit of a spoiler, there’s someone behind making Agni the villain, and he has a tired, tried, and tested reason for doing so (Ala Raj Zutshi in One 2 Ka 4). But no matter how vulnerable these unsung heroes might be, they’ll always win the battles in the end. They have to go home happy, so that we can go home happy and feel there’s someone out there to protect the nation or even a city.

Rating: 3 (out of 5 stars)

Agni is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video IN