Prahar Review: Another memorable character of Rajkumar Rao, brought Ujjwal Nikam's legal battle on screen.
The film 'Prahar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam' is a biographical drama based on the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and the legal battle to hang Ajmal Kasab. In this film directed by Avinash Arun, Rajkumar Rao has played the role of the country's famous lawyer Ujjwal Nikam. Vamika Gabbi, Jaideep Ahlawat, Lalit Prabhakar, Sikandar Kher and Ashish Vidyarthi are also seen in important roles in the film.
Story of the film and acting of Rajkumar Rao
Rajkumar Rao had earlier won the National Film Award for playing the role of lawyer Shahid Azmi in the 2012 film 'Shahid'. Now after about 14 years, he has once again appeared in the role of a lawyer. However, this time their fight is to provide justice to the victims of Mumbai attacks and punishment to Kasab instead of providing justice to innocent people accused of terrorism.
The film starts with the wedding scene of Ujjwal Nikam's daughter. After this, the attacks on Taj Hotel and CST station during 26/11 Mumbai attacks are shown. The story progresses and brings forward the legal battle that started against Kasab and the journey that took him to death. The film also mentions the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts, but its main focus is on the 2008 Mumbai attacks and the trials related to them.
Rajkumar Rao played the character in his own style
Rajkumar Rao has played the character of Ujjwal Nikam in his own style. He has maintained his acting style while adopting the character's expressions and personality. His monologue in the film is impressive and he strengthens the story with his performance in many scenes. Ujjwal Nikam's legal battles along with his family life troubles are also shown. Amidst his wife's illness, conflict with his son and his daughter's marriage, he remains continuously engaged in his mission.
Talking about other actors, Jaideep Ahlawat leaves an impact in the role of Pakistani Chaudhary Zulfikar Ali. Sikandar Kher has given a strong performance in the role of Kasab's lawyer, while Lalit Prabhakar has got a good opportunity in the role of Ajmal Kasab. Ashish Vidyarthi also Justice M.L. Looks impressive as Tahiliani. At the same time, Vamika Gabbi is not able to leave much impact in the character of Jyoti Nikam, wife of Ujjwal Nikam.
Where does the film fall weak?
The biggest weakness of the film is its script. Many films and web series have already been made on the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and Kasab's legal battle. In such a situation, presenting this story in a new style was a big challenge for the film, but the script was not completely successful on this front.
The first half hour of the film seems quite slow and dull. There was scope for emotional scenes in the story, but their impact is felt less in the initial part. Emotions emerge in some of the later scenes, but the way of presenting the story becomes weak at many places. Due to this, the film also tests the patience of the audience.
The film could not show the complete story of Ujjwal Nikam
The other major drawback of the film is that it limits Ujjwal Nikam's life mainly to Kasab's trial. While his legal journey has also included cases like Gulshan Kumar murder case, Pramod Mahajan murder case and 2013 Mumbai gang rape case. Had these aspects been shown in detail, the film could have presented a broader picture of his life and legal career.
However, the film brings out the idea behind terrorism and the aspect of youth being misled into becoming terrorists in Pakistan. Many such scenes have been shown through Kasab, which force the audience to think.
Overall, 'Prahar' is worth watching because of Rajkummar Rao's impressive performance and Ujjwal Nikam's important legal battle. But due to weak script, slow start and limited scope of the story, it does not reach its full potential.
Film: Prahar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam
Release: In theaters
Director: Avinash Arun
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Vamika Gabbi, Jaideep Ahlawat, Ashish Vidyarthi and Sikandar Kher
Rating: 2.5/5