By: Farhana Sultana

Tuesday, July 06, 2004

Cast: Salman Khan, Shilpa Shetty, Arbaaz Khan, Akanksha, Amrish Puri, Kulbushan Kharbanda, Anupam Kher, Mukesh Rishi, Govind Namdev, Mohan Joshi and Shivaji Satam
Director: Puneet Issar
Music: Sajid - Wajid & Anu Malik
Lyrics: Shabbir Ahmed
Producer: Cinevista Ltd.

GARV-PRIDE AND HONOUR is the latest offering in the trend that Bollywood has seen aplenty this year. Right from KHAKEE to AAN, POLICE FORCE, DEV, AB TAK CHHAPPAN, and DEEWAR, the trend has come a full circle with Puneet Issar's GARV. The film too deals with the lives of police officers that have put their family on the sidelines while performing their duties round the clock.

GARV-PRIDE AND HONOUR is a story about three brave and honest cops Samar Singh (Amrish Puri), Arjun Ranawat (Salman Khan), Hyder Ali Khan (Arbaaz Khan). The trio forms a team that defines death to all the bad elements in the city and especially the dons from the underworld. Spearheaded by Samar Singh, the 'Special Task Force Team' of Arjun Ranavat and Hyder Ali are assigned a mission: to clean up the menace in the system. The team goes on an elimination drive and this creates a panic-like situation among the powers that be. The powerful politicians Govind Namdeo, Anant Jog, Shivaji Satam are connected with underworld don Zafar Supari (Mukesh Rishi), who comes under pressure from the dark forces. To tone down Arjun, the underworld targets his mother (Farida Jalal) and sister (Akanksha). When Arjun seeks support from legal quarters, he receives neither support nor help. He decides to shed his uniform to fight his own battle. He becomes a law unto himself. The story progresses with a lot of high-tension action packed drama.

Salman Khan, the heartthrob of millions, plays the messiah of law and order in this movie, where he dons the 'khaki' after many years. Salman's decidedly restrained performance is impressive. It is quite evident that he has matured as an actor, after TERE NAAM. It's definitely not his best work, but he does lend GARV a certain aura without which it would have fallen flat entirely. Salman's character in the movie is a stark reminder of Vijay (Amitabh Bachchan in ZANJEER). But Salman Khan is no Amitabh Bachchan... and the audiences have seen too many films in this genre in over more than three decades.

As for the director, Puneet Issar makes a good television director and he should probably stay at that. He shows signs of promise, but that's all. The film loses ground soon after it takes off. There is nothing innovative in the movie as the film forays into the old premise with a script in the cop film genre of the mid-seventies.

Arbaaz Khan's performance is brilliant. In fact the Arbaaz-Salman Khan combo comes good a third time after PYAR KIYA TO DARNA KYA and HELLO BROTHER.

Amrish Puri is good. Performance by Anupam Kher as a debased lawyer and Govind Namdeo as the corrupt Maharashtrian chief minister is average. Shilpa Shetty is attractive and makes for fabulous dancing. But the stint by Reshma Bombaywala was in absolute bad taste. The women in the film, Shilpa Shetty, Akanksha and Farida Jalal have very little scope in the film. Music wise there is no difference between Anu Malik and Sajid-Wajid composition. Both are bad. They are nothing but interruptions in the clichéd narrative. Choreography is tolerable.

Every component of GARV is designed to get the masses into a foam-and-fume-filled frenzy. Puneet Issar's debut, GARV is a massy film tapping the base instincts of the audiences. The film harks back to the most illustrious action-potboilers of the 70s and 80s. In a time and place where the audiences are intelligent and are looking for realistic and serious films, GARV is a disappointment.

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