Pranaam
Ratings: 1.5/5
Duration: 2 hrs. 2 mins.
Director: Sanjiv Jaiswal
Genre: Drama
Release Date: 09.08.2019 (India)
Star cast: Rajeev Khandelwal, Sameksha, Shaji Chaudhary, Atul Kulkarni, Abhimanyu Singh, Vikram Gokhale
Plot: A small-town, studious lad Ajay Singh (Rajeev Khandelwal) belongs to an elementary family. He struggles hard to fulfil the long-cherished dream of his father to see his son serving the country as an honest civil servant. However, Ajay lands up on life's wrong side.
Review: Ajay Singh happens to be an earnest, hard-working, and simple college student, whose aim is to fulfil his father's dream. To achieve his purpose, Ajay keeps all kinds of distractions away from his life. Soon, he ends up meeting a scamster and local goon Gyanu Singh (Abhimanyu Singh), who happens to be involved in a question paper leak controversy at the Lucknow University. After this encounter, Ajay becomes a gangster.
The film is a mimic of the cinemas of the 80s era. However, it lacks the impact it should be carrying. The background score happens to be immensely melodramatic. The scenes between Ajay and his father are also no different. Moreover, the scenes involving the villains and the cop are also not a good compliment.
Rajeev Khandelwal's character as a sincere student and obedient son are quite convincing and appreciable. But his transition into a gangster fails to impress the audience. Abhimanyu Singh's role as a goon and Atul Kulkarni's performance as a morally loose inspector are portrayed quite well. The lead actress, Manjari Shukla, carries out her character well as Ajay's lover, but as the script doesn't demand much from her, this performance is likely to be forgotten easily. The screenplay features typical 80s things, and so is the direction.
Overall, 'Pranaam' could have undoubtedly worked well, but unluckily this Bollywood crime drama isn't put well.
