“Aazam” plays out as a fairly conventional underworld story – a crime-thriller ft guns, goons, dialogue-baazi and a tight screenplay. Directed by Shravan Tiwari, the film casts Jimmy Shergill, Abhimanyu Singh, Indraneil Sengupta and Sayaji Shinde.
The plot revolves around Nawab Khan (played by Raza Murad), the esteemed don of Mumbai, who is now confined to his deathbed due to cancer. A pivotal gathering takes place with Nawab’s trusted inner circle, which includes the brilliant Sayaji Shirke in the role of the Home Minister, Madan Shirke. During this gathering, they reach a decision to elevate Anya Shetty (portrayed by Vivek Ghamade) to Nawab’s position. However, Nawab’s son, Kadar Pathan (played by Abhimanyu Singh), and his loyal friend Javed (portrayed by the amazing Jimmy Shergill), discover this truth early on in the film and devise a conscientious plan to eliminate all the participants of the meeting simultaneously on the same night. The chessboard game begins with the assassination of Anya, paving the way for a treacherous journey filled with suspense and peril for many lives, all unfolding within a single night.
Writer-director Shravan Kulkarni crafts a compact world of mafias within a tightly woven screenplay. The engrossing plot possesses depth with its twists, backstories, politics, and inner conflicts of the characters. This crime-thriller deviates from ordinary crime dramas featuring cop-versus-mafia dynamics or internal gang wars, presenting a simple one-man game infused with unexpected suspense, which unfolds like a Pandora’s box before the interval.
There is a terrific cast featuring exceptional a bunch of actors who deliver some brilliant performances. However, Jimmy Shergill’s character falls short of portraying an underworld mafia solely based on his physical appearance. Nevertheless, his unexpected moves and scintillating accent provide the answer to this discrepancy. Unfortunately, Abhimanyu Singh’s potential is wasted as the actor doesn’t have much to do in the film. On the other hand, Indraneil Sengupta shines in his role as a cop, effectively playing the role of a horse on a chessboard.
Although the gripping tale presents itself in a conventional way, the direction falls short of expectations. The film is plagued by excessive closeups, underwhelming lighting and visuals, and overly loud sound, all of which detract from the efforts put into the narrative. Furthermore, there is a melodious qawali song titled “Allah Ve Maula Ve” by Kailash Kher that appears randomly during intense moments in the film. While the lyrics may be relatable, they are poorly integrated into the dense plot, creating a jarring effect and thus messing up the pace.
“Aazam”, now playing at your nearby theaters, proves to be an intriguing spectacle that engrosses the viewer, although it does feel missguided in its direction, preventing it from becoming a completely entertaining experience.
