With talented directors' innovative bend of mind we are subjected to some brilliant cinema off late (though the 100Cr trashes still rules the marquee).Neeraj Pandey is one of such avant-garde story teller who wooed the audience with his flawless directorial debut "A Wednesday" half a decade ago. After a hiatus he is back and back he is with a Bang! Special 26 takes us back to the era of 80s (not the loud inane "Himmatwala" kind) when things were less convoluted and people still used to have faith on fellow sapiens. In terms of technology life was simpler and people had the time to use their wit to the summit. The film is about an team of four intelligent con men who used to impersonate CBI officer (or Income Tax officer) & raid corrupt ministers, businessmen to loot their "black" money. Their confidence & acuteness gets tested when pitted against equally capable Wasim Khan, a dynamic CBI officer. Therein begins the war of wits which becomes more captivating with the progress of the film. Based on real events it is heartening to see that someone had the wit & balls to con those who are conning the whole nation.
Neeraj Pandey should be showered with awards for this brilliant script which keeps you on the edge. There are many con films being made in India but this will feature amongst best Heist & Con drama made in Hindi so far. Pandey's film is one rare script-based gem that plays on the wit and gives a realistic touch to the proceedings. The detailing used to re-create the 80s deserves accolades. Every city shown in the story gives you the feel of the by-gone era and with usage of orange-brownish colour the tone of the film becomes more accurate. From telephone sets to car to newspaper the effort given in detailing oozes out from every scene. Dialogues like "Ye juicer grinder kya hai" hints on a subtly how mechanical we have become. The brilliant script is complimented with sharp dialogues with layered humour. One master stroke was when Akshay points on so many children of Anupam kher to which he replied that there wasn't any TV for entertainment in those days. At least there we have a reason for this gigantic population of ours ;) The script of "special 26" throws light on why Neeraj took 5years to make his second venture after a stupendous debut & now he stamped the fact that his maiden attempt wasn't a flash in the pan. Special 26 raised the bar & full marks to Pandey for making a commercially viable yet realistic, intelligent racy heist thriller that can proudly rub shoulder with world cinema.
Late Bobby Singh's camera-work coupled with Reddy's art direction brings alive the 80s distinctive flavour with honesty and reality. Narayan Singh's editing gives the edginess to the narrative keeping us glued to each scene. The visual graphics used to recreate the 80s are commendable.
Neeraj persuaded Akshay for the role and he excels as an astute con-man who let his brain speak rather than muscle. It is a rarity for Akshay who sheds his superhero image and gives an earnest performance. (How i wish he does more Speicla26 & OMG rather than the housefull rowdies. Also this film should force Sallu & Devgan to do at least one meaningful film).Manoj Bajpei is one of the finest actors around and we can only expect the best from him- whether it is revenge stricken Sardar Khan in GOW or a upright dutiful officer Wassem Khan in this film Bajpei is superlative. Even when he isn't speaking he is emoting through his posture & expression. Anupam Kher gets a meaty role after a gap & he pounce on to it giving a phenomenal performance. Jimmy Shergill had a strong yet understated character which is of extreme significance to the narrative & he doesn't let you down. As a dismissed confused police officer vowed to unmask the con men he adds more spice to the chat-pata narrative. Divya Dutta shines in an interesting supporting role. Rajesh Sharma is ever reliable and he made his presence felt in a role which is far cry from nutty Tikku mama from "Luv Shuv tey Chicken Khurana". Kajal Agarwal looked good but her character was forced and could have been done away with. The rest of the cast were restrainedly exemplary.
Neeraj Pandey gives a winner again after "A Wednesday" and this is not to be missed. An earnest, honest and realistic heist drama which comes once in a while in Hindi. Good to see brainy films for a larger audience are getting made nowadays. Let us help this superb film to cross the 100 Cr mark to show respect to this kind of films. Indeed a special experience for cine-goers who are bored with typical 'race2' kind of films.
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