Rege

Plot: A young aspiring doctor gets attracted towards the criminal world after a chance encounter with a gangster.

Review: Not many films stay with you after you exit the cinema hall. Some entertain you and some make you think. 'Rege' does both this and also stays with you later.

Anirudhha Rege (Aroh Welankar) is the model student and son. The MBBS student is a topper in exams and is involved in cultural activities in college, and at home he is the obedient son whom his father treats more like a friend than son. On an invitation from his friend Pakya, Rege goes to a Janmashtami event where he happens to come across M Bhai, a local gangster. M Bhai’s persona and the power that he commands leave Rege in awe of him. Soon he is on friendly terms with M Bhai and his gang. They chill out together, spend time at Rege’s farmhouse and M Bhai even helps Rege in becoming the cultural secretary of the college. All the while you observe Rege slipping into risky territory until one evening when his life takes a hideous turn. From there on, the studious Rege gets entangled in a web of crime, police lock-up and fear; a life that results in dire consequences. He ventures into a world where encounter specialists Pradeep Sharma (Mahesh Manjrekar) and Sachin Waze (Pushkar Shrotri) are the last people someone in his position would want to see. They say curiosity kills the cat. The phrase stands pretty true in case of Aniruddha Rege.

In a film that boasts of a stellar cast, debutant Aroh Welankar stands out in his role. His transformation from the curious teenager to a helpless youngster trapped in a dangerous chase is beautiful. Mahesh Manjrekar and Pushkar Shrotri as the real-life inspired cops give a tough fight to Bajirao Singham in terms of their work and acting prowess. We get to see a totally new side of Pushkar in this avatar. Santosh Juvekar as Mohan can easily pass of as the gangster M Bhai but what is M Bhai’s real identity?

For debutant director Abhijit Panse, this film will definitely rake in recognition. It has so much thrill, drama and crime stuffed in that if you blink, you may miss an important scene. His story is realistic and has been presented without any exaggeration. The raw and catchy dialogues penned by Panse and Pravin Tarde combined with a fabulous background score from Monty Sharma give the film a different identity altogether.

'Rege' is definitely worth a watch for everything it has.