Shivaay: Movie Review

Shivaay: Devgn’s Most Audacious Film!

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Reviewer’s Thumb Mark

While the titans clash at the box office this Diwali to have an edge over the other, I feel Shivaay will have the last laugh. Ajay Devgn’s production company way back in 2000 came up with its first movie ‘Raju Chacha’ and in 2008 he co-produced ‘U, Me Aur Hum’ which also marked his directorial debut. Now, with Shivaay Ajay Devgn the Actor, Producer and Director has come a long way. He is known to take cudgels against the biggies in the industry and in ‘Shivaay’ he does the same without bothering about the consequences in store for him. I think he is pretty comfortable doing that both off and onscreen.

Shivaay is breathtaking in its action sequence though it goes a bit over board in doing that as if Ajay Devgn enjoys his indulgence in performing stunts. We can even sense a Rohit Shetty influence when the vehicles crashes each other after a heady race and piles up on the street while the hero escapes unhurt with valor.

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Shivaay is the story of an audacious mountaineer and a trek guide who lives on the Himalayas. He feels and believes that he is the lad of the snow-clad mountains where Shiva resides. The dialogue fits apt for his character – “Isko kante lage na kankar raan mein rudra gharon mein Shankar, aant yahi sare bhighayon ka iss Bhole ka vaar bhaynkar”. Shivaay during one of his trekking expedition with a bunch of youngsters comes across a Bulgarian girl Olga (Polish Actress Erika Kaar) who speaks Hindi fluently because of her brief stint as a student in Delhi University. Their trekking expedition becomes quite eventful because of a natural calamity and what follows is a stunning action sequence amidst horrifying avalanche and snow storm.

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Shivaay and his team nurse an injured Olga till she recuperates. But before she leaves to Bulgaria she leaves behind a doll (child) in the custody of Shivaay and knits a handmade doll to take care of her daughter because she has many other lives back in Bulgaria to take care off. Nine years later, Shivaay and his daughter Gaura (British Child actor Abigail Eames) sets forth to Bulgaria to visit Olga for once because Gaura stumbles upon a well-guarded secret about her supposedly dead mother.

Shivaay and Gaura’s visit to Bulgaria has many things in store for them which is brutal as well as fatal too. Will, they survive the onslaught of the Bulgarian and Russian mafias. What upsets the Bulgarian Police and Government? Why Shivaay is declared a fugitive is quite interesting to know. Will Gaura meet her mother? Is she alive?

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The film Shivaay has some veteran actors like Girish Karnad and Saurabh Shukla but unfortunately Ajay Devgn fails to do justice to the caliber of these actors. Sayyeshaa Saigal as Anushka the Indian Embassy official is good. Her bond with her father is stretched beyond the requirement just to justify that there are other father daughter duo on this planet who bond well. The last dialogue by Anushka to Shivaay that it is difficult for those daughters to find a match whose fathers are too good is out of place and unnecessary. Vir Das as an ethical hacker and friend of Anushka plays well his role but is short lived. Erika Kaar and Abigail Eames are convincing in their respective roles as mother and daughter.

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Aseem Bajaj’s work as a cinematographer in Shivaay is noteworthy. The panoramic aerial shots of the snow covered mountains, the trenches, and the avalanches by Aseem is so well done that it leaves you mesmerized. The constant Shiva chant with the background score ups the tempo of this action thriller.

Shivaay falters in the department of editing. It could have been far more trimmed but it stretches to almost three hours which makes the story a bit tardy and the viewing tedious. There is no songs that stays with you. The fight and stunt sequence are too long and it goes on and on which makes you lose the interest. Moreover, Ajay Devgn is less human and more of a superhero which is a major drawback of this film because it makes one hard to relate to the happenings on screen.

In short, it will be unjustified to write off Devgn’s honest attempt to give an action thriller even though it has many flaws. Shivaay, I must say is a straw to hold on to celebrate Diwali for many cine goers who felt disappointed after watching Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. At least, it has a story to tell with some technically sound action sequences.

Life Connoisseur Movie Rating: 3/5

Cast: Ajay Devgn (Shivaay), Erika Kaar (Olga), Abigail Eames (Gaura), Sayyeshaa Saigal (Anushka), Vir Das (Wahab), Girish Karnad, Saurabh Shukla, Bijou Thaangjam

Genre: Action, Thriller

Director: Ajay Devgn

Producer: Ajay Devgn

Written by: Sandep Srivastava, Robin Bhatt

Story by: Ajy Devgn

Music by: Jasleen Royal, Mithoon

Cinematography: Aseem Bajaj

Production: Ajay Devgn FFilms, Pen India Limited, NH Studioz

Distributor: Reliance Entertainment

Release Date: 28th October, 2016

Duration: 173 Minutes

Language: Hindi