Waqt is a family drama with a social message, about the relation between
a father and son, adapted from a Gujarati play 'Aavjo Vhala Fari Malishu'.
Iswar Chand Sharawat ( Amitabh Bachchan) is an affluent business man
running a toy manufacturing company. His wife is Sumtira ( Shefali Shah)
and they have a son Aditya ( Akshay Kumar). Iswar is a self made man
who has struggled to become what he is. He is very generous and is a
doting father. On the other hand his son Aditya who was literally born
with a silver spoon has grown up to be a totally irresponsible person.
Aditya wants to become a superstar and lives in a dream world. He
is in love with Pooja (Priyanka Chopra) daughter of Nattubhai [Boman
Irani] who has an on and off warring relationship with Iswar. Aditya
and Pooja get married one fine day without their parents blessings.
Though Ishwar hopes that marriage would make his son more responsible
it turns to be futile. With much reluctance and despair he is forced
to turn his son out of the house for his own good.
Aditya is shocked, but he is forced to take care of his now pregnant
wife. He works as a stunt man and slowly changes over a new leaf. But
the distance between father and son widens as Aditya do not understand
why his father is being tough with him....
Though
the plot is inherently melodramatic and message-oriented, director Vipul
Shah has adapted a stage play for the screen without allowing the narrative
to be theatrical. No matter how clichéd the episodes, Shah manages to
make almost every sequence engaging and absorbing. A large part of the
credit for the drama-driven plot's efficiency must go to writer Aatish
Kapadia, whose one-liners and quips flow out with constant and instant
comic consequences. The bantering between Bachchan and Boman Irani is
at its best so is Rajpal Yadav's deadpan depiction of the exasperatingly
daft domestic servant. The narrative could've avoided the over-the-top
dramatics of the last half-hour. Another flaw is the never-ending duets
and festive songs that make "Waqt" look like "Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham"
mated into "Baghban".
Besides Kapadia's dialogues, Omang Kumar's artwork and Santosh Thundiyil's
camerawork are able allies to the director's dramatic vision. The film
looks posh but never garish. The performances add a special flavour
to the popped-up proceedings.
Bachchan and Akshay are superb as the father and son duo. Akshay Kumar
is inspired beyond anything he has done so far. He is intense on screen
and isn't afraid to look vulnerable, weak, and even ridiculous on screen
- a sure sign of an evolving actor. Irani shows us some more of that
ever-bubbling brilliancy of which he's now the king in Hindi films.
Seen first as warring family friends who keep running into each other
at social gatherings and then as reluctant in-laws, Bachchan and Irani
bring a fabulous flamboyance and finesse to their farcical war of words.
Priyanka Chopra may not be pivotal to the plot, but she creates space
for herself and leaves a strong impression. But it's Shefali Shah as
Amitabh Bachchan's wife whose expressive eyes conveying spousal and
matriarchal pain that you come home with.
Deftly written and expertly narrated, this family drama is sure to
go well with the audience..
