Film: Ab Tak Chhappan 2
Director: Aejaz Gulab
Cast: Nana Patekar, Tanmay Jahagirdar, Gul Panag
News is just out that they’re planning a sequel to Blade Runner , released in 1982. So as belated follow-ups go, Ab Tak Chhappan 2 isn’t all that belated. Still, the decision to add another chapter to Shimit Amin’s 2004 film (this one is directed by Aejaz Gulab) is a curious one. It was neither a blockbuster nor a cult film — so why bother? Especially now, when the gangster genre that Ram Gopal Varma birthed is all but dead. Why didn’t they cash in on the first film’s success earlier, when encounter cop Sadhu Agashe (Nana Patekar) was younger and would have unleashed a bigger body count?
They could have called it Ab Tak 112 . The long wait means the encounter cop is now retired in a Goan village, fishing and drinking coconut water, while son Aman (Tanmay Jahagirdar) plays the piano.
Clearly, the idyll must end. After some generic scenes about the underworld, Rhe big shots in Mumbai decide Sadhu must be brought back. He refuses at first, but agrees when Aman reminds him there’s still a cop under the retired guy. Ab Tak Chhappan 2 is perfectly serviceable, but that’s about it. We get several action sequences but we don’t know who’s being shot. The only gangster shown in some detail is Rawle (Raj Zutshi), who putters about in a motorised wheelchair.
But it’s nice to see Nana Patekar again. The best scenes are with Aman — making an omelette, chopping vegetables — and with Shalu (Gul Panag), a crime reporter. Patekar’s performing style is so often about histrionics.
When his boss remarks on how fit he still is, Sadhu says, “ Goli umar nahin dekhti. Pata nahin kab zaroorat pade. ”
Baradwaj Rangan
