Released this week in Delhi-U.P., Bihar, Jharkhand and C.P.C.I., Classic Entertainment’s Apna Amitabh (UA) is the story of a man who is a crazy fan of Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchah.
Vijay (Vijay Rawal) belongs to a lower caste and he can’t shake off the stigma that comes with it. The villagers refer to him as Anna safaiwala‘s son because his father, Anna (Hemant Mahaur), cleans the streets. Ashamed, he decides to change his father’s name to Dinanath Chauhan so that the villagers would then be forced to call him (Vijay) Vijay Dinanath Chauhan (name of the character played by Amitabh Bachchan in Agneepath). Vijay faces a lot of hardships to get his father’s name changed, but what happens after that?
Ajay Anand’s story is quite silly. There’s a basic flaw in Vijay’s thinking. He is referred to as Anna safaiwala‘s son because of his father’s profession (of a sweeper) and not because of his name (Anna). Therefore, his assumption that the villagers would call him Vijay Dinanath Chauhan after his father’s name is changed is based on shaky ground. There is every possibility that the villagers would continue to refer to him as the safaiwala‘s son, but Vijay is shown to be oblivious to that. Ajay Anand’s screenplay is very ordinary. Some comic scenes are a bit enjoyable but other than that, there isn’t much in the drama. Ajay Anand’s dialogues are okay.
Vijay Rawal performs well as Vijay. Hemant Mahaur is good as Vijay’s father, Anna. Bachan Pachera is alright as Vijay’s grandfather, Mansukh. Suruchi Verma lends ordinary support as Vijay’s mother. Anjali Mishra is okay as Julie. Anupam Shyam makes a fair mark as the village mukhiya. Vinay Ambast provides ordinary support as the school principal, Makhan Singh. Shilpi Kukrati is okay as reporter Prachi. Jay Thakkar (as Amrish), Mukesh S. Bhatt (as villager Joginder), Sharat Sonu (as school peon Banwari) and the others hardly impress.
Ajay Anand’s direction is dull. Music (by Rajesh Jha) and lyrics (by Ajay Anand) are average. Bhupesh Sharma’s background music is nothing to dance about. Shambhu Sharma’s camerawork is just about okay. Rabiul Sarkar’s art direction is passable. Chaitanya Tanna’s editing leaves something to be desired.
On the whole, Apna Amitabh is too ordinary to create any impact at the box-office.
