Contract

8216;Satya8217; had hired hoodlums tuck into 8216;ghar ka khana8217; and exchange desultory notes about that 8216;chipkali wali picture8217; 8216;Jurassic Park8217;. 8216;Company8217; gave us mob bosses and their foot soldiers in the familiar dance of loyalty and double-cross. Now Ram Gopal Varma brings out the third in what might turn out be a series, 8216;Contract8217;, in which he throws into his standard mix of the underworld and the cops, a handful of 8216;aatankwadis8217;8212;those bearded Osama acolytes who want to blow up Mumbai with tons of RDX.

Nowhere near as fresh as 8216;Satya8217;, nor as sharply acted as 8216;Company8217;, 8216;Contract8217; nonetheless manages to hold our attention with the way RGV has managed to arrange his characters and plot in a narrative that moves along swiftly, helmed by new faces.

Adhvik reminds you of the set-up-for-stardom Vivek Oberoi in 8216;Company8217;: he doesn8217;t have the latter8217;s piercing talent, but he8217;s buff, carries off a black singlet well, and knows how to shoot. His romantic interest Sakshi is refreshingly kinky, not turning a hair when an informer is being electrocuted a couple of yards from her. Only later she tells the hero, that she learnt very early on that the only way to survive on the streets was following her rising-to-the-top-of-the-heap hood brother8217;s credo: Ya logon ko apni taraf modh lo, ya phod do.

Hurray, Ramu8217;s back to doing his mob thing no more ghastly re-makes of classics, in which he concentrates on this very elemental philosophy to the exclusion of all else. Guys being tortured, killer cops being chased naked on the streets of Mumbai in a scene that goes on for several minutes, rent flesh and scarlet splotches raining on the screen in bucketfuls : all fall into RGV8217;s comfort zone; we8217;ve seen them all before, and here they are again, with a twist here, and a couple of surprises there.

Watch 8216;Contract8217; for what Ramu does best, even if it is far from being his best. As well as for an unexpected, shattering climax, in which the debutant lead pair get to do their stuff with guns and bullets. No place here for roses: stay away if blood makes you blanch.

shubhra.guptagmail.com