The
Film: Mahesh
Manjrekar has
a strange way
to establish
continuity in
his sequel to
Vaastav.
Picking up the
thread of the
story where
it ends in Vaastav
with the
shooting of
Raghu (Sanjay
Dutt) by his
desperate mother
Shanta, Manjrekar
goes on to depict
and narrate
the fate of
his son Rohit.
In the same
style as Godfather
I and II,
Sanjay plays
his own son
Rohit who was
at the time
of Raghu's death
in Sonu's womb.
Manjrekar
skips easily
the consequence
of a woman killing
her son deliberately.
Despite what
Manjrekar tried
to say in justification
of the plain
murder that
it was, that
it was mercy
killing to relieve
a drug-addict
son of the agony
of withdrawal,
he failed to
make a case
for acquittal
in a court of
law. But strangely,
Manjrekar never
gives the law
any chance between
the two parts
of the story.
Rohit's
childhood and
school days
are shown in
a flashback
as Rohit, the
young don, lies
on a hospital
bed after a
critical operation.
An anxious middle-aged
Sonu prays for
his life, so
does her mother-in-law
Shanta, who
gets confused
between Raghu
and Rohit. The
story unfolds
the making of
a criminal from
an innocent
child by the
society itself.
In spite of
the best efforts
of his mother
and grand-mother,
Rohit is not
allowed to grow
up into a decent,
law-abiding
citizen.
For mother Sonu
it is a traumatic
experience all
over again as
she watches
dear son slipping
helplessly into
the murky marshland
of crime. Even
the best efforts
of a police
officer friend
of Raghu fail
to save Rohit,
who is provoked
again and again
to pick up the
gun.
The
nexus between
the worlds of
crime and politics
gets more emphasis
in the film.
In spite of
political and
criminal intrigues,
there are cops
and politicians
who are honest
enough and determined
to rid the society
of dons like
Rohit and his
friend Munna.
But, on the
other hand,
there are cops
and politicians
who would not
give any Rohits
a chance to
reform themselves,
rather push
them harder
towards a life
of crime.
While
the chief minister
is so earnest
about cleansing
up the social
life, he never
creates conditions,
which he could
if he had taken
an initiative,
for unwilling
criminals like
Raghu and Rohit
to return to
society.
