There are two sections of the audience that will be watching Agneepath, the remake of a cult film originally made by the late producer Yash Johar and director Mukul S Anand – those who have watched the original and the young generation who has missed it. A BIG challenge.

Does producer Karan Johar and director Karan Malhotra’s Agneepath live up to these astronomical expectations? Do they match up to the original Agneepath? Have they re-created the magic of Amitabh Bachchan versus Danny Dangzonpa with Hrithik Roshan versus Sanjay Dutt? These are the questions uppermost on your mind as you wait for the opening credits to roll. When the end credits start to roll, you feel it’s unfair to compare the two versions of the film. And yes, both Karans (Johar and Malhotra) deserve pat on their backs for attempting this film and succeeding BIG time.

First, the premise of both films is the same – Mumbai and Mandva. An honest teacher being tortured by villagers who gets killed. His wife and son move to Mumbai. Now the kid wants to take revenge. That’s where the similarity ends.

If Agneepath was a cult film in the ‘90s, this one is a rustic film made in 2012. But one must applaud Johar and Malhotra, again, for including the handful of magical scenes that have been retained though presented differently.

*The killing of master-ji may look like it did in the original but the treatment is different. Kancha himself kills the master. The killing is gruesome and leaves a major impact.

*In the original, the human side of Vijay Chauhan was barely shown. He was portrayed as a task master who hid his emotions. However, the remake portrays the softer side of Vijay Chauhan, who is also shown as very grounded despite becoming a big name in the crime scene. He’s a regular guy rather than a larger-than-life don as in the original.

*How can one forget the scene where Vijay Chauhan visits his mother’s home to eat but leaves without eating dinner? Here, despite being humiliated, Vijay Chauhan makes it a point to eat his meal. Not only that, he also expresses his craving for his mother’s cooking, which he has missed for years. The scene where Hrithik Roshan cries in Priyanka’s arms is very touching and brings tears to your eyes.

*If the old Agneepath is remembered for the scene where Amitabh Bachchan saves his sister from the clutches of his enemies, Hrithik Roshan does the same, but differently. If the original barely included fist fights but was still impactful, the remake includes hand-to-hand fights and leaves a major impact despite the comparison between the two versions of the film.

*When Amitabh Bachchan visits Mandva after many years, he wears an attitude. Remember his dialogue: “Dinkar Rao topi sambhalo, hawa bahut tej hai.” The scene in the remake has been handled with emotion. The pain in Hrithik Roshan’s eyes makes this scene brilliant. The scene is powerful in both versions, only different.

*Amitabh Bachchan’s visit to Commissioner Vikram Gokhale’s house was another major triumph in the original. It’s been shot very differently with Hrithik Roshan and Om Puri.

*How can one forget the pre-climax in the original Agneepath? The Ganesh visarjan? What makes this scene stand out in the remake is the Ganpati song that plays out simultaneously with the killing at the visarjan venue.

*How differently you can end a film titled Agneepath? However, Malhotra does manage to pull it off. Yes, there’s an agneepath (road of fire) but it’s treated very differently. If the climax was a major highlight of the original, Malhotra manages to culminate his epic in a long-drawn fight between Hrithik Roshan and Sanjay Dutt. In a word, the climax is breathtaking. Movie buffs haven’t been treated to a climax like this for years!

*Last but not least, what makes Amitabh Bachchan’s Agneepath stay with us is one of the most famous dialogues in the history of Indian cinema – “Naam Vijay Chauhan, baap ka naam Dinanath Chauhan, aur pura naam Vinay Dinanath Chauhan.” Kudos to both the Karans (Johar and Malhotra) for not trying to cash in on this dialogue. Hrithik mouths these famous words just once during the pre-climax. And it leaves a powerful impact!

As mentioned earlier, the premise is the same but the film has been handled very differently. That’s where the new Agneepath scores. Also the period of the film is not contemporary. The story begins in 1977, when Vijay is about ten plus, and then leaps to 1992. Had the film been set in today’s times, the change in the face of the underworld would have had made it look like any other film released in the recent past.

If the remake doesn’t have the track of Mithun Chakrabory, the inclusion of Rishi Kapoor’s character is beautifully woven into it. The transformation of Vijay (the kid) from a school master’s son to a killer is beautifully presented. In fact, the scene where he teaches the cop a lesson by punishing him is memorable.

As in earlier times, the introduction of the hero and the villain – heroism and vengeance – the remake too has a mind-blowing introductory scene for Sanjay Dutt and Hrithik Roshan. Besides, the way Vijay plays a trick to reach on the top so that he meets Kancha is beautifully written. The tempo of the film is very quick and you tend to take a breather only when the romance between Vijay and Kali is portrayed.

The pace in the first half is quick (though it drops in a few places) but it nosedives post-interval. Note, the Chikni chameli song has been inserted just as the momentum soars again. Also the conversation between Vijay and Kancha during the song is praiseworthy. The very next scene, where Kancha is torturing Vijay, gives you goosebumps.

Though the pace doesn’t hamper the proceedings, the film is a little too long. There are too many flashbacks, and showing the wedding between Hrithik and Priyanka’s characters is pointless. Also, the song when Hrithik takes his sister and Priyanka out, though emotional, needlessly increases the film’s run time. As for loopholes, there’s a sequence where Om Puri says that although everyone knows of Vijay Dinanath Chauhan, no one knows what he looks like. But the very next moment, the two of them meet at the police station!

Full marks to debutante director Karan Malhotra for taking on the Herculean task of remaking a cult film while keeping the flavour of the original and also delivering a massy, hardcore, rustic commercial film. Though the story has several loopholes, the screenplay writer in Karan Malhotra comes up as a winner. He is ably supported by dialogue writer Piyush Mishra (though the pure Hindi spoken by Kancha Cheena now and then may not be understood by the urban youth).

After the director and writer, the other hero of this film is action director Abbas Ali Moghul. His superlative skills are especially evident in the scene where the Master is murdered; where Hrithik saves his sister; where Kancha tortures Hrithik; and the visarjan followed by the climax. In a word: OUTSTANDING!

Musically, the songs blend beautifully with the screenplay. Chikni Chameli is a chartbuster while the Ganpati number is not only superbly composed and sung, it is also picturised fabulously. Background score helps keep you glued throughout. Cinematography is superb.

Since the film is essentially Sanjay Dutt versus Hrithik Roshan, it is very difficult to gauge who scores higher. Sanjay Dutt as the heartless villain is in top form and he’s delivered one of the finest performances of his career.

On the other hand, Hrithik Roshan as the common man (though a goonda) wins your heart with the way he emotes. His performance is so pure and straight-from-the-heart that you empathise with him when he cries. Both actors deliver an award winning performance, indeed!

Priyanka Chopra, though she has a not-so-meaty role, does well. Rishi Kapoor is the real surprise package of this film. This is the third time he has played a negative role after Khoj and Kal Kissne Dekha. He sinks into the character so fabulously that you hate him right from his first scene till the last. Zarina Wahab is superb in a small role. Chetan Pandit as Masterji is lovable, so is the child artiste. Rajesh Tandon and Devesh Bhojani are perfect. Katrina Kaif’s item number is a major highlight of the film.

Verdict: BLOCKBUSTER.