If you’re searching for novelty in storylines, there’s very little left to expect! Perhaps, there’s very little that hasn’t been exploited. But when it comes to giving life and soul to tacky and hackneyed themes, you can trust BW filmmakers all the more. And that’s what Mahesh Manjrekar seems to be extremely deft at, craftily adding a new dimension to Hindi cinema.

Viruddh is the story of a 60-plus couple, Vidhyadhar Patwardhan (Amitabh Bachhan) and Sharmila Tagore (Sumitra) avenging the injustice visited upon their only son. It is a story of the battle between convictions and the crooked political system trying to smash the entrenched faith in the principles of ethics. The first few minutes into the film embarrasses you that has a police inspector making his low-key remarks with his fellow hawaldars. But, once the camera shifts to Big B crumpled up in the custody we’re all awed with his formidable presence. Big B’s character, that at times is more than what the character itself could have required. When the story moves ahead, hardly anything of consequence happens other than the gushy romance between the old couple and their intimate and affectionate relationship with their only son.

Sharmila Tagore remains an overbearing but affectionate wife and mother, striking a perfect balance with Bachhan’s irresistible frivolity. Enter John Abraham, and his ladylove, Anusha Dadekar. They easily manage to find a way into the ageing couple’s hearts and get married despite the starkly flawed pairing. However, John Abraham gets involved in a brawl and becomes the victim of high profile plot Post intermission, the story drags on with a mawkish note, with a 60-plus father batting to settle squares. But we have Sanjay Dutt, the neighbourhood mechanic, to amuse us with his lighthearted humour that compensates for lack of songs. We have Dutt and Bachhan endorsing brands for the first time in Hindi flicks. Though, there are moments where the characters overdo their performances, the movie manages to hold the audience’s interest and manages to jerk tears. A decent family movie. — HNS

Cast: Amitabh Bachhan, Sharmila Tagore, John Abraham, Anusha Dandekar and Sanjay Dutt

Direction: Mahesh Manjrekar

Screenplay: Yash Vinay

Showing at: Kumari