56 and counting ... killing time

When we get information, we kill criminals. When we don't have information, we kill time. The line joins several other bits of crackling in-your-face dialogue in Ab Tak Chhappan, the latest offering from RGV's Factory, also marking the directorial début of Bhoot editor Shimit Amin. There's a documentary feel to the proceedings, with a lot of synch sound. There are no songs. No unnecessary romantic angles. Great pace. Honest performances (including one of Nana Patekar's greatest ever!). And since this is an RGV flick, there's even a self-referential dig (tum se kitanaa pyaar hai from Company plays at the wedding anniversary dinner). Wonder if the reference to Welankar was an homage to Nihalani's Ardh Satya. Revathi seems to get a thankless role, but I can't imagine any lesser actress managing to pull it off with as much ease. As with Company, there's a lot derived from real-life (Encounter specialist Daya Nayak), mixed with other aspects that are dear to RGV (like a nexus of every kind greying the ideas of good and bad). N Chandra attempted to adapt Daya Nayak's life to the silver screen with Kagaar. I haven't managed to catch that flick yet, but Amin's version can easily beat that one. Having long sold out to mainstream cinema, Chandra has lost any credibility as a director with a sense of realism. There are more RGV flicks in the pipeline. Until they hit the screens (or the DVD stores), we can kill time as well.