Reviewer's Summary - Disappointing
Language: Hindi
Year: 2005
Actors: Amitabh Bachchan, Arjun Rampal, Perizaad Zorabian, Rucha Vaidya
Director: Apoorva Lakhia
Producer: Bunty Walia, Jaspreet Singh Walia
Music: Amar Mohile, Vishal Dadlani, Shekar Ravjiani
Screenplay: Apoorva Lakhia & Manoj Tyagi
Dialogs: Manoj Tyagi
A crude version of the 2004 Denzel Washington-Dakota Fanning movie Man on Fire.
If you haven't seen Man on Fire, you just, just might enjoy Ek Ajnabee. But if you have seen the Hollywood flick, this Bollywood copycat will leave you disappointed.
Ek Ajnabee lacks the finesse, action and overall artistry of the Hollywood original.
Denzel Washington delivered a far more intense performance as Dakota Fanning's bodyguard compared to Amitabh Bachchan's so-so effort.
While Man on Fire was set in Mexico City, Ek Ajnabee is set in Bangkok.
Suryaveer Singh (Amitabh Bachchan), a forever boozing, former Colonel in the Indian army, comes to Bangkok to become bodyguard of a young girl Anamika (Rucha Vaidya). Although initially aloof with the child, Surya quickly warms up to the young girl and becomes very attached to her.
Despite the presence of her bodyguard, the young girl is kidnapped one day and Surya badly wounded in the incident. A ransom drop goes awry and the kidnapper's brother is killed. In retaliation, the kidnapper says he's killed the girl. Surya wakes up from his hospital bed vowing vengeance on all involved in the kidnapping. As he goes around chopping off fingers of bad guys, Surya discovers a dark secret behind the kidnapping.
Rucha Vaidya is adorable as the young girl but she's no patch on the amazing Dakota Fanning.
Perizaad Zorabian is fine as the child's mother Nikasha while Shekhar (Arjun Ramphal), Surya's tatooed ex-Army buddy, seems stiff.
The kidnapping scene in Man on Fire was shot beautifully - creating an edge of the seat excitement - but the same scene in Ek Ajnabee was not even half as good.
Still, for all its limitations Ek Ajnabee is slicker than most Bollywood action films. - Copyright Rekha Inc.
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