Varma's 'Sholay' remake is a mix of crime and thrill

New Delhi, Aug 28 (IANS) Finally, one of the most talked about films of the year, "Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag", a remake of Ramesh Sippy's 1975 cult film "Sholay", is set to hit the theatres Friday.

Maverick director Ram Gopal Varma has transformed the original completely by transporting the setting from the Chambal valley to the city. He has managed to assemble an interesting cast as well. Amitabh Bachchan plays Gabbar the notorious dacoit, a role made hugely popular by Amjad Khan.

Ajay Devgan has stepped into Dharmendara's role while Prashant Raj features as Jai, the character played by Amitabh in the original. Sushmita Sen is the widow, a role Jaya Bachchan essayed with rare poignancy. Nisha Kothari is the new age Basanti, a persona Dream Girl Hema Malini played with verve. And Sanjeev Kumar's memorable Thakur is to be Mohanlal in the new film.

Set in the dark underbelly of Mumbai, the film revolves around a nihilistic new leader Babban (Amitabh Bachchan) who has risen to rule the fetid underworld. He is cruel beyond imagination, psychotically violent and far more devious than any gangster the city has ever known. If evil keeps company, none would be greater than Tambhe (Sushant Singh), the key henchman of Babban.

The tragedy is that nobody has ever seen Babban and whosoever did, didn't survive to tell the tale. However, there is one man who believes in his existence, and that is inspector Narasimha (Mohanlal), an encounter specialist. He is tormented by his own past and his thoughts have a single point of focus, Babban. Narasimha lives with only one ambition - to finish Babban.

Unknowingly, two young men from Latur - Raj Ranade (Prashant Raj) and Hirendra Chavan (Ajay Devgan) - get involved in Narasimha's war against Babban. They come to Mumbai with big dreams of buying out the city. It's another matter that they are jobless and don't have enough money even to buy a decent meal.

In the city these two guys meet Ghungroo (Nisha Kothari). She drives a rickshaw named Laila and treats it like her best friend. Sounds weird, but that's Ghungroo.

Her plus point is that she is the city's only woman rickshaw driver and knows all the shortcuts by heart. Her minus point is that she is a complete chatterbox but Hirendra is enamoured by her constant talking and falls in love with her.

On the other hand, Raj is attracted to Durga (Sushmita Sen), a trained nurse.

Most of the actors are powerful performers and Varma is a seasoned director - so one can expect some interesting fare in this remake.

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Ram Gopal Varma ki Aag