Antim REVIEW: Salman Khan’s most restrained performance ever with Aayush Sharma in a never seen before avatar

Director: Mahesh Manjrekar

Cast: Salman Khan, Aayush Sharma, Mahima Makwana

Bollywood Bubble rating: 3.5 stars

There is no ‘ANTIMvidi’ to Salman Khan and Bhaigiri. Directed by Mahesh Manjrekar, Antim: The Final Truth reinforces that statement loud and clear. Also, starring Aayush Sharma and Mahima Makwana, Antim chronicles the tale of a poor boy who turns rogue only to become Pune ka Bhai and how his life comes a full circle by the end. A remake of a popular Marathi film ‘Mulshi Pattern’, the makers have tried to adapt Antim in a more urban setting with Hindustan Ka Bhai and Pune ka Naya Bhai taking charge of the entire narrative.

Antim is about Rahul (Aayush Sharma) who is a son of a farmer forced to sell his land and work as a watchman. Possibly a story of most farmers in our country. Watching his father getting humiliated, Rahul decides to avenge them. What starts off as a one-off violent episode results in a change of gear in Rahul’s story once he meets Nanya Bhai in the jail. Rajveer Singh (Salman Khan), a sharp police officers understands the pattern and puts out a plan to eliminate Bhais using Bhais. With references from Mahabharat, Rajveer acts as the sutradhar (the thread holder) of the story. He maneuvers situations that culminates into a ‘Bhai free’ Pune. With a lot of action and drama, Antim surprises in parts.

The makers did not play too much with the screenplay except for a few minor changes. Upendra Limaye who played the role of Vitthal, the police officer in Mulshi Pattern, is also a part of Antim. His versatility can be traced by these two roles in itself. The casting seems apt with everyone pulling off their parts perfectly. Mahesh Manjrekar also has a cameo in the film along with Varun Dhawan in a Ganpati special song. The background score adds to the entire feel and vibe of the movie and is definitely something you take away from when you exit the theatres. The dialogues were decent and did evoke a reaction in parts. Of course, there are major loop holes as well. It seemed like most dialogues were being said without really feeling it. Was this a dubbing issue, we will never know.

 

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After watching Satyameva Jayate, the action scenes in Antim felt much more convincing and well-choreographed. But to cater to the Salman Khan fandom, which is obviously the major target audience, the fight scene between a shirtless Rajveer and shirtless Rahul felt forced. The entire love story but with Manda again felt unnecessary.

Now, let’s give it to Salman Khan. This is by far his most restrained role in many years. As Rajveer, Salman gets a rather “non-heroic” entry this time. I don’t understand the need for Rajveer to be a Sardar in particular for the story but nonetheless, Salman seemed to have tried to pull in some efforts to make Rajveer stand out, which is refreshing. Not to disappoint his fans, he has also removed his shirt and marked some iconic dialogues. His camaraderie or scenes with Aayush are watchable and entertaining in between. Aayush as Rahul is a decent breakaway from Loveyatri. His hard work to nail the Bhai act can be seen. Although he is not fully there, he has evolved certainly from his last film. The quintessential bad guy with a good heart is what Rahuliya is defined to be. Aayush brings in some level of innocence to Rahul but honestly, some of his staple expressions to pull off a Bhai did seem OTT.

 

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Mahima Makwana makes her debut in Bollywood as Manda. She does add a bit of her experience on TV to the screen but the entire romantic song part felt outdated and skippable, to say the least.

Mahesh Manjrekar has treated Rahul’s character as a good boy turned villain. In ways, it felt like he wants people to empathise with Rahul who meets his Antimvidi. Because we also have Salman Khan, there are some changes made in the script to ensure Bhai gets to do his action and Bhaigiri as well.

Watch it for the action and of course, Salman Khan!

Also Read: Salman Khan extends a hand to pose for photo with an elderly woman at Antim screening, Watch