I would never profess to being a Bollywood expert. In fact, I only started watching the genre in earnest two years ago.
But, since then, I seen a fair few and I have to say this is my favourite.
Agneepath is a brilliant story of revenge with some terrifically hard-hitting scenes. And it's song and dance routines are dazzling.
Most western audiences wouldn't get the inclusion of singing and dancing in a film as dark as Agneepath.
Often, I too, find that they jar. But not here. All of the sequences fit perfectly into the plot.
Although one did make me giggle to myself. Katrina Kaif makes a special appearance and, within her routine, she lights some cigarettes. Incredibly, up pops a warning to say "cigarette smoking'' is injurious to health.
It made me snigger because, before that, we had witnesses murders via, stabbing, shooting and lynching and no such warning had appeared about any of those activities.
Anyway, I digress. Agneepath, a remake of the 1990 movie, is about a young man seeking revenge for the ghastly murder of his schoolteacher father.
How he seeks to do it is by inveigling himself into the Mumbai crime scene to get access to the bad guys.
Hrithik Roshan is most impressive as the man in question, Vijay Chauhan.
However, the star turn is Sanjay Dutt, I can't remember a Bollywood performance as riveting as his portrayal of the arch villain Kancha. He is merciless and utterly intimidating and his bald head makes him appear maniacal.
Agneepath is a long film at just under three hours but under Karan Malhotra's pacy direction, it never drags.
And it also profits from a complete lack of Bollywood-style schmaltz. Yes, there is romance and, yes, there is a wedding but that never gets in the way of the need for revenge.
Laughs: none
Jumps: two
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 9/10
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