Bhoomi Movie Review: Sanjay Dutt is a helpless man on a mission

'Bhoomi'
U/A; Action/Drama
Director: Omung Kumar
Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Aditi Rao Hydari
Rating:

Sanjay Dutt is a helpless man on a mission. He's back on screen with 'Bhoomi', portraying the pains of fatherhood after a three-year hiatus to enjoy its pleasures, off it.

In this Omung Kumar's emotional thriller, Arun (Sanjay Dutt) and Bhoomi (Aditi Rao Hydari) are a sweet 'papa-bitiya' jodi living in Agra who find happiness in the smallest of the things like cooking food for each other or even a head massage. But their world turns upside down when Bhoomi gets raped one day before her marriage. After several 'court ke chakkar' where the girl's character certificate is discussed including her virginity (which has become so common in films), Arun decides to take matters in his hands, when he realises they will not get justice in the court of law.

The biggest flaw lies in the script. It is convoluted and over-plotted, as a whole which eventually becomes an overwrought tale that hardly has anything novel to offer. What could have been a good comeback for Dutt is mostly marred by the filmmaker's vision which seems to tuck in the '90s. In the first hour, the screenplay moves at snail's pace leaving you exasperated. It is only post-interval when the tempo picks up and events in the film start moving on. Surely the production design deserves a mention but that is just aesthetics to the film that won't save the day.

Dutt looks rusty at the start but eventually takes charge of his character. Once in the groove, his eyes breathe fire which surely makes for some whistle worthy moments. Unfortunately, it happens only in the last 20 minutes of the film and you wish this 'actionbaazi' and the swagger that the actor is known for would have come earlier. Aditi as the daughter does a fine job as she juggles between playing a sweet girl who turns into a lady seeking revenge. Alas, nothing else clicks. Not the dialogues which seem to be written for the front benchers nor Sharad Kelkar as the constipated antagonist. Shekhar Suman as Dutt's best friend seems jaded.

The film tells you that India isn't safe for women, especially young girls but in the recent times films like 'Pink', 'Mom' and even 'Maatr' have dealt with the subject in a mature way. 'Bhoomi' is not quite the re-entry to Bollywood that Dutt's fans had been expecting. But it still justifies a trip to the theaters just for the man.

Watch 'Bhoomi' Trailer