Elaan (1994)

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Akshay Kumar debuted with Saugandh which was an ordinary flop. He gave films like Dancer and Mr Bond as well as the delayed Deedar however, all three flopped at the box office. It is then that Khiladi was offered to him and he got his first box office superhit film. Success eluded him in 1993 as he gave mostly all flops except Waqt Hamara Hai which was a hit film launching the successful team of Akshay Kumar and Sunil Shetty. 1994 however was at most a good year despite 7 flops from Akki. His 4 films like Elaan, Suhaag, Main Khiladi Tu Anari, Yeh Dillagi, and Mohra were hits while some of these were also superhits. Sadly, films like Amaanat, Nazar Ke Samne, the horrible Zakhmi Dil and a few others brought Akshay done a little. Elaan was one of his low budget action films from 1994 which worked as it was one of the first action films with the typical storyline. This same formula has been seen so many times, thank god some of the films out there are well handled.Elaan has the same typical well handled story of a family who get into trouble and have bad times when they act against the criminals. Akshay Kumar plays the son of Amrish Puri who is the head of police. Akshay watches his dad get proved mad and insulted in court and after much tolerance, he takes the law on his hands. This gets him arrested by the police. He is beaten at the polic lockup but he soon escapes and with the help of his dad(who also escapes the mental asylum) kill the villains. Sadly, Akshay's mom and Amrish's wife Farida Jalal dies. Now, they go into the villains headquarters and murders them after a long action sequence. The climax is not in the villains den but on the streets of Bombay where the villains are blown by explosives.Direction by Guddu Dhanoa is good and he gave Akshay his first hit(this was the first Akshay Kumar release in 1994). The film is well handled for the most part and there is actually not much dragging of any kind. Yes the first half is mainly romance and songs with comedy but this time the comedy works as it isn't forced. Its not comedy in the middle of the main portions of the film, it is before the the main interval point of the film. The first half, entertainment mainly depends on comedy and songs which somewhat works and the second half depends on action and powerpacked performances not that there isn't any in the first half. There were some serious scenes in the first half of the film, there was a lot of arguments and serious talkings in the first half which save the film from depending on comedy and songs.Akshay Kumar does a decent job, his emotional scenes need practice though. His crying is just as bad as Sunil Shetty's, nowadays his emotions are better conveyed than his early days. However, his dialog delivery is decent and his action is awesome. Madhoo is the typical heroine and she did better in Phool Aur Kaante but not a bad job as her funny comic lines in the first half keep you entertained. Amirsh Puri is awesome as the police head and Akshay's dad. His team with Akshay bashing the villains after the interval was well shown. Farida Jalal is good as the typical mother, she has many dialogs to her benefit and her breakdown in front of the corrupt officer played by Dalip Tahil is good. The villains Rami Reddy and Mohan Joshi as well as the corrupt Dalip Tahil do what is required, Rami Reddy does better than the other villains though. Deven Varma is funny and good in his role, the rest are average.Music is nothing great, better music would have been a good plus point for the film. However, it is functional and fits with the film. Editing is decent but the choreography is hilarious and stupid for the songs. Action is good, an Akshay Kumar movie always promises and proves to have good stunts. Dialogs are the same type of dialogs these typical movies have but they are entertained to an extent.On the whole, Elaan is a decent film and it was a hit though the culmination could have been a bit better as it is quite prolonged. For a change, this is one of the few typical movies to be properly edited for the most part. Elaan gets a thumbs up from me, I particularly liked this Akshay Kumar film from 1994.

This is a typical melodramatic Bollywood production. The system (cops, courts, etc) is corrupt and THE hero (whose only qualification seems to be that he knows how to fight) is going to fix it all. I am not sure what the message for the viewer is: is someone upset with corruption supposed to start mayhem in the streets to get revenge ? The songs were average as well. The acting is mediocre in general, with a few good sections. Amrish Puri has done a good job in his role as a honest police officer. Akshay Kumar is at best, mediocre. The story is somewhat improbable, with bombs being tied to people to kill them in public by blowing them up - wouldn't it be easier to just shoot someone or do something similar ??

The movie Elaan is relatively unknown among audiences, but I found it to be one of the best action movies in Bollywood history due to its intensity. The performance and stunts of Akshay Kumar are truly remarkable as Elaan, Mohra, and many other hits became the base on which Akshay has built his successful career. Being one of his biggest fans, I would recommend this movie to any other Akki fan because the movie truly delivers. There is something magical about the whole film as all its components come together in a wonderful fashion to create a movie worth watching over and over again. Amrish Puri also is great in the movie as he performs at his peak. Elaan is one of the best movies in Bollywood ever made!