Ab Tak Chhappan 2: Another unnecessary sequel

Ab Tak Chappan 2
Cast: Nana Patekar, Gul Panag, Mohan Agashe, Govind Namdev, Ashutosh Rana
Director: Aejaz Gulab
Rating:

Ab Tak Chhappan 2 is a movie that did not need to be made. The first installment was an earnest effort while the second one is an unnecessary addition.

There is not a moment during the course of the film which causes one to sit up and take notice. There is a blatant glorification of the violence that a cop is capable of. But that's not the problem with the movie. The problem is that it is a very boring portrayal of that violence. It is easy to tell that the director is new to the craft.

The camera angles are awkward to say the least. Cameras are placed in drawers, on floors, under tables, and even under cows.

Nana Patekar plays Sadhu Aghashe, a trigger happy cop who uses bad guys for shooting practice. At the beginning of the movie, he is shown to be on a sabbatical due to the death of his wife. After he is pulled back into service, he goes on a bad guy shooting spree in the city, because that's what cops do right. The movie depicts the police as a profession which only requires expertise in running after bad guys and shooting them at the end of all the running. Amidst all the people being shot in the movie, Sadhu's son too gets shot. This annoys Sadhu a lot. Because its always nicer when other people, people who are not related to you, are shot.

Nana Patekar's turn as Sadhu is jaded and lacks the punch that we all know he is capable of. One sits through the whole movie waiting for one of his iconic rants and outbursts, only to be disappointed.

There are also other stock characters such as idealistic journalists, crooked politicians etc. Gul Panag plays Shalu Dixit, a person with short hair who wears glasses. Needless to say, she is a journalist. Ashutosh Rana as Suryakant Jakhar, Sadhu's discontent junior tries hard, but is let down by an under-written character. No one else leaves much of an impression.

The main reason I watched this movie was Nana Patekar, one of the severely underutilised actors in Indian cinema presently. Hopefully, this movie signals a comeback of sorts.