“Ek” is a typical Deol film, with a lot of action and heavy dialouge bazi. Bobby Deol after a long time returns to action with EK under the command of Sangeeth Sivan. It is more of a modern interpretation of BAMBAI KA BABU and DUSHMAN, having parallels more to DUSHMAN as the family and its problems are what brings about a transformation in the criminal and reforms him to become a Good Samaritan.

The brilliance of the movie from the cinematographic angle appears in patches more so in the evocative shots of the sunset in the villages and the silhouette that it creates, as also in the stunt scenes that Bobby Deol has performed, emphasizing that he is an action hero. The shooting of action scenes in two tone colors may have been done with the idea to create an impact, but it is not able to live up to it.

While Sangeeth Sivan had drawn parallels with GHAJINI for his film EK, and in terms of the action it may have parallels, the comparison flounders on the music front. A R.Rahman can enliven an action film by creating scope of music as he did in GHAJINI, but Pritam has not been able to do it in EK, the music does not have the same punch.

The redeeming feature of the film is the brilliant cameo that Nana Patekar has performed, and he has again underlined the fact that even though he made his debut in 1980s, he still can give other actors a run for their money. The punch lines of EK have been reserved for him. It indeed is a stark reality that three Ps Police, politician and the prostitute define the space in which the common governance operates these days.

May be there is a need to revisit the notion of rural landscape with the mustard fields of Punjab, as it has become such a flogged horse that the element of novelty as a cinematic oeuvre has been lost. In an action film it is rarely that the female lead star gets equal footage, and same has happened with Shriya Saran.

While Nandu, the character played by Bobby Deol is an orphan, had his process of indoctrination into a criminal been dealt in slightly more detailed manner, may be the character of Nandu could have drawn more empathy from the audience.

While the multiplex audiences may not be that receptive to EK, it would surely be able to develop a bond with the audience in the India outside the metropolitan and multiplex cities. The dialogues of the film would ensure that.

For the fans of Bobby Deol and Nana Patekar this film is a must dekho, more so because of the fact that in its original avatar as a Telugu film it was a super hit, and this is the kind of audience that also exists in the Hindi film world outside the metropolitan cities. But its high time for Bobby Deol to take some wise decisions in his career.

Rating – 2.5 / 5
By:Bollywood Trade News Network