Commando - A One Man Army

Story: A girl on the run bumps into a commando from the Indian army. Does he manage to rescue her from the dangerous, psychotic hoodlums who are chasing her?

Movie Review: Dilip Ghosh’s Commando has a linear narrative. Set in North India, the story can even be termed archaic. It’s got a hero, a heroine and a villain. Small-town goon AK-74(Jaideep Ahlawat) is irresistibly drawn to the local, fire-brand beauty Simrit Kaur(Pooja Chopra). When she resists, the bad man threatens her. She elopes to escape his advances and naturally, she’s chased by AK’s band of baddies. Fate smiles on her when she accidentally bumps into Karanveer Dogra(Vidyut Jammwal); a commando; so well-trained in guerrilla warfare; he can be rightly called a one man army.

The action shifts to the forests. The commando and the girl break into a run with the villains, local forest officials and killer dogs hot in pursuit. From here on, the film picks up tempo. Enter South African action director Franz Sphilhaus. The director hands over his hero Vidyut to him and the combination is pure magic. Perhaps one of India’s best martial arts exponents (at least in the films); Vidyut is terrific.

With the stealth and dexterity of a jungle cat, this commando goes for the kill. For the first time in eons, the action scenes are totally convincing…and you can digest the fact that one man can kill them all and come back alone. If you are an action junkie and if you have peaked on Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo-series, then our desi Commando, is what you will term paisa-vasool entertainment. The adrenaline rush stays with you, long after the lights come on.

Vidyut Jammwal is in top form, doing full justice to the job at hand.

Action superstars Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn may have superstardom and years of experience on their side; but Vidyut has the agility and novelty to match their moves. He’s orgasmic to watch.

Pooja Chopra (Femina Miss India-2009) is super-confident in her film debut and a welcome addition to Bollywood’s heroines.

One should also put in a couple of lines of praise for Jaideep Ahlawat, who has made the transition from a small part in the art-house Gangs of Wasseypur to the big-time Bollywood baddie. He’s mean, menacing and maniacal without trying too hard.