Agni Review: Loose In Parts, Yet A Decent Film On Firefighters' Lives

RATING - ⭐ ⭐ ✨ 2.5/5*

Agni Review Movie Talkies:

A film based on the life of a firefighter is rare, and Agni is certainly eligible to be called a rare film, at least when considering Bollywood movies. However, one must acknowledge that foreign cinema was ahead in this regard as well. Humphrey Jennings made a British film, Fires Were Started (1943), which has received universal acclaim over the years. That film was very realistic and had a war angle, making it more brutal and hard-hitting. Agni is far more fictional and artificial with its theories and can't really be compared since it is set in a completely different world. I somehow can't forget that film, and taking this subject up in our industry somehow teases me about the idea and how to present it from the same English movie. Agni is still very much a decent film except for its fictional liberties, which more or less defame our fire and police departments rather than glorifying them.

Set in Mumbai, Agni tells the story of the chief of a firefighter department, Vitthal (Pratik Gandhi), who is brave but whose own child doesn't give him the respect he deserves. Rather, the child adores his heroic but corrupt inspector uncle, Samit (Divyenndu). There is a conflict between these two, which I’ll discuss later, but you can guess what it is. As the number of fire cases rises in the city, Vitthal suspects use of arson and a man who specializes in it, whereas Samit has his own theories and catches one suspect. Will this fire chain end now? As tensions mount and time runs short, the two must put aside their personal differences to solve the mystery and shield Mumbai from a flaming catastrophe.

Rahul Dholakia and Vijay Maurya are experienced enough to write a decent story, and they do exactly that. However, the screenplay doesn't really justify those conflicts. I don't understand the obsession of some people with defaming the government or any of its departments, which tirelessly work for us. At the end, you have to salute their work just to satisfy your fictional liberties, and the fact that they can't be blamed at all. Also, this conflict of someone's hatred against the system while being a part of it (the main villain in the story) is too hectic and illogical at a time when investigations have advanced so significantly; it has become a cliché already. Coincidentally, I live on Senapati Bapat Road (the one mentioned in the film), and there was a club/restaurant that caught fire a couple of years ago in Lower Parel (owned by a Bollywood celebrity), where my younger brother used to work, so I could relate to the tension and heroic gestures. Yet, something was missing that was needed for the screen extravaganza, and you can't really feel that on a small screen.

In terms of performances, it was a satisfying experience. Pratik Gandhi has done well, even though he lacked the Marathi manus vibes in his dialogues, accent, and body language. He comes off as very Gujju while portraying his true self on screen, making it difficult to accept him in another character that doesn't have many layers. Jeetendra Joshi's psycho nature is surprising; however, having seen his brilliant works on stage, especially in "Don Special," I know he could have done much better. Divyyendu also performs adequately in his role, and it’s refreshing to see a rich police officer in a realistic movie after a while, but did he really need to be corrupt and so shameless about it? A more decent character would have fit better, I suppose. Sai Tamhankar appeared genuine as a Marathi housewife, while Sakhi Gokhale was decent despite portraying an overly urbanized housewife. The rest of the supporting cast provided decent support.

The technical aspects of Agni deserved improvement—not to enhance the film, but to add intensity to the visual texture. Fires Were Started feels genuinely burning and hot in black-and-white, but I couldn't sense that heat here in color. The background score does not fit well, and the cinematography falls short with those repetitive zoomed-in shots of fire (in yellow, red, and blue shades), though the production design was quite acceptable. It did not resemble a low-grade picture at any moment, nor did it contain any awkward cut-in frames. Rahul Dholakia attempts to create a convincing narrative and succeeds at times while failing at others. The concept of a personal conflict between a cop and a firefighter isn't particularly appealing. The film becomes too personal, losing its formal connection as a heroic story. Rahul's emotional quotient is effective, which is crucial, but the human drama falls flat in many scenes. Overall, it is a decent film that loses momentum in parts but keeps you engaged for two hours.