Shagird Movie Reviews

Watch the film for its topicality. Shagird holds up a hard-hitting mirror on India: corrupt to the core, India: permanently scarred by the unholy nexus between tainted politicians, ruthless gangsters and dishonest cops. Nana Patekar and his gang of uniformed men are completely amorphous. You never know which side of the law they are on, crossing thresholds swiftly, whenever it suits them. Patekar's Hanumant Singh is a classic study in grey

Punctuated with thrilling chases and shoot-outs in the crowded by-lanes of Delhi, Shagird is another interesting film from maverick director Tigmanshu Dhulia who made an impression with Haasil, his very first film.

Many years ago, a close female friend -- who shall here remain nameless because a) gallant men do not besmirch a woman's honour and b) because I value my life -- was breathless after watching the teaser of Ram Gopal Varma's James, marking the debut of a certain fellow called Mohit Ahlawat. She felt he had the presence to be the next big thing, the intensity of a young Shah Rukh Khan, and that elusive x-factor, "woh baat." No he didn't.

Lines soaked with gallows-humour are all well and good, but a cat and mouse game can never work as well if the mouse isn’t any fun at all.

On the whole, SHAGIRD is a powerful film with an equally power-packed screenplay. Though a well-made film, the awareness levels have been pretty low and the hype, therefore, is missing. But here’s a film that deserves to be watched for its captivating screenplay and striking performances.

Based on the nexus of politicians and cops, Shagird is a raw and stripped-down look at the underbelly of this network. Nana Patekar plays Hanumant Singh, a policeman who isn't black or white but grey -- you never know what his next move might be. Singh along with Bunty Bhaiya (Kashyap) work for the benefit of a politician (Hussain). Then there's a TV journalist who gets kidnapped and the drama begins. Shagird definitely isn't your run of the mill

Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Shagird is about the Delhi crime branch, a law enforcement unit that gleefully perpetrates crime itself. The department, run by ACP Hanumant Singh, played by Nana Patekar, is relentlessly brutal and corrupt. A newbie officer Mohit, played by Mohit Ahlawat, makes feeble noises about the cash and killings but soon, he also learns to toe the line. This dark student-teacher drama is played out against the backdrop of UP criminals

Nana Patekar fans will enjoy his purposefully eccentric, casually ruthless cop but honestly, it felt like déjà vu to me.

Shagird is not devoid of merit. The Patekar characters affinity to vintage film songs gives a centre to an otherwise-doddering tale of desperate corruption.

It seems cop films are in vogue in Bollywood. If it was DABANGG last year, this year (we are just in May), it's DUM MAARO DUM and now SHAGIRD. The film is a comeback of Tigmanshu Dhulia, whose last film, CHARAS released way back in 2004. After AB TAK CHHAPPAN (2004), Nana Patekar plays a cop yet again in SHAGIRD. He essays the role of an eccentric crime branch cop, Hanumant Singh. He is like the imdb of old Hindi songs and loathes the modern ones

Shagird' sets out to be a gritty cop drama, and gets some of it right. Nana Patekar plays Crime Branch officer Hanumant Singh who has a thing for old Hindi movie songs, and who goes about his work with a one point agenda. Himself. He will do whatever it takes to stay on top of a shaky structure buoyed by greedy politician Rajmani Singh ( Hussain), and his pet crook Bunty Bhaiyya ( Kashyap); even when it comes to blooding straight-laced recruit Mohit

SHAGIRD fails in its attempt to be a taut thriller and overstays its welcome.

Guns on hire, on either side of law, remain pretty much on the same side of the crooked coin. The police are merely henchmen of the state. This holds true for several mirrors that so-called realistic movies throw up about cops. Not one of them even spares a second to actually figure out how hierarchies within the police really work. A young man, the shagird (protégé, Mohit Ahlawat) is a sub-inspector, with aspirations of becoming Delhi’s youngest police commissioner

There isn’t much going for the film apart from Patekar’s wit and Kashyap’s acting talent. Without them, this film would probably have not got a single star.

Shagird Review by Komal Nahta, Business rating: 1 star. What’s Good: The interesting twists and turns; the extra...