‘Aakrosh’ based on nationwide sensation; not a Hollywood remake

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September 17, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): Just like earlier efforts of Priyadarshan’s which belonged to dramatic genre - ‘Gardish’ and ‘Virasat’ - even ‘Aakrosh’ seems like a promising affair if the promos are any indication. However, in current times when Hollywood has already reached home and it doesn’t require much effort to hunt for an original, netizens have quickly managed to hint on the source of ‘Aakrosh’. The name that at the top of the list is not a Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil or any other regional film. It is Oscar winner Hollywood flick ‘Mississippi Burning’ (1989) which starred Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe.

Says an industry observer, "With the basic plotline seemingly similar for both the films, it wasn’t hard to draw other parallels. While ‘Mississippi Burning’ highlighted the divide of black and white, honour killing (which is the underlining theme of ‘Aakrosh’) is also making headlines due to cast divide in India."

"Also, both the films are hard hitting dramas and make an attempt to highlight a topical issue in a non-compromising manner. The actors chosen for both the films, in this case Ajay Devgn and Akshaye Khanna, are also known for their intense acts while the man at the helm of affairs, Priyadarshan, has always been known for his remakes. It is tough to ignore similarity points here", he adds.

However, Kumar Mangat (producer of ‘Aakrosh’) denies any similarity between the two films. He says with a straight face, "’Aakrosh’ is based on a report that had appeared years back in a leading national newspaper. I remember how we all were shocked when the news break happened around three college going boys getting killed because one of them was having an affair with a higher cast girl."

"There was a CBI enquiry done and it was revealed that police, collector, a local local MLA - just about everyone was involved. We always wanted to make a film around this theme, adapted it to the current scenario and made ‘Aakrosh’", he states the reason behind making ‘Aakrosh’.

Well, with Mangat coming up with his side of the story, one waits for 1st October to arrive when the film would be up for release. Whether ‘Aakrosh’ bears any similarities to ‘Mississippi Burning’ would be known then but by the look of things, it can be rest assured that this Priyadarshan film does promise to bring with it quite some drama for the audience.

Also starring Bipasha Basu and Paresh Rawal in key roles along, ‘Aakrosh’ has also pumped the glamour scene with an item number by Sameera Reddy and Urvashi Sharma. The film also stars Kumar Mangat’s daughter Amita Pathak as well as Reema Sen who was seen in Priyadarshan’s comedy ‘Malamaal Weekly’.

– Joginder Tuteja / Sampurn Wire