Shikhar slides down

John Matthan second movie Shikhar after Sarfarosh is the result of his efforts of six years, his dream project and the outcome of his extreme hard work as a director, producer and writer. But Alas! Shikhar does not hold our expectations.

It is undoubtedly a beautiful effort but one that’s gone wrong! After Sarfarosh, expectations were too high from Shikhar. Sarfarosh definitely putted the stakes higher for Matthan. His over involvement (director, producer, writer) in Shikhar did not let, any one part develop successfully and completely. There are too many songs and many plots and subplots that take a viewer away from the main story. The screenplay needs much editing and the pace of the movie in second half should have been fast.

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Despite of all its shortcomings Shikhar has been able to raised some thought provoking issues like deforestation and land-acquisition by greedy builders from innocent villagers, how greed can takes a sane man away from his values, how politicians manipulate common man and lastly how a cheated person, a loser overcome his weaknesses and fight back for his loved ones.

Story:
The story of Shikhar revolves around different people who identify with today’s society. Shikhar is the peak of ambition these people scale depending upon the extent of their desires.

Ajay Devgan as Gaurav Gupta (GG) - wants to make a city that he can rule himself. He has no control over his greed.
Jawed Sheikh as Guruji/Shridhan Vardhan - is a businessman-turned-social activist who found his motto in life after a terrible mishap and now has devoted his life and wealth for orphans and helpless people.
Shahid Kapoor as Jaidev Vardhan - is like two sides of the same coin. He has his father values on which he has grown up and he has his own dreams to fulfill.
Bipasha Basu as Natasha - is a highly talented Model who will go to any level to fulfill her lover’s wishes.
Amrita Rao as Madhavi - is childhood love of Jaidev. She will go to any extent to support him against all odds.

In the words of John Matthan, ‘Shikhar is about wealth, glamour and ambition’.

Shridhan Vardhan is an Industrial magnate who has stepped out of his business to become a social crusader. Now called ‘Guruji’, he wants his wealth to be utilized for the growth for the tribals in the Sahyadris. He abhors violence and greed and holds the viewpoint that wealth means nothing if not utilized for the betterment of the society. On the flip side, Gaurav Gupta (GG) is a highly ambitious person who dreams of usurping the Vardhan Empire. He started his career without a single penny in his pocket, lost his soul for wealth in midway and now he firmly believes that ‘money’ only can fuel his ambition. He comes across the steely determination of Guruji but spots a week link their, Jaidev (Guruji’s son). Jaidev reflects today’s youth who easily scum to temptations. Gaurav Gupta sees him - a fresh graduate, un-spoilt, vulnerable and thinks of exploiting him. Striking up an acquaintance with the unsuspecting Jaidev, he proposes that they work together on an image build-up for Vardhan Industries. Gupta plans a huge advertising campaign to be shot in Singapore. A large unit of models and crew are taken to Singapore. For Jaidev it’s a whole new experience as he falls in love with one of the models, Natasha. Natasha actually is hopelessly in love with GG and she will do whatever he says. For GG, she cast a seductive spell on Jai knowing well that what she’s doing is wrong and will forever put Jai at GG’s mercy. Jaidev gets mesmerized by the charming, smooth and suave Gupta, who introduces Jaidev to the world of wealth, women and greed. GG also use the unscrupulous politician Amrit Patil, to exploit the tribal into selling their lands. Jai’s childhood friend from the ashram, Madhavi, who genuinely loves Jaidev tries to warn him but he refuses to listen and she has to watch helplessly as Jai gets tangled more and more in the deadly web spun by GG and Natasha.

Ajay Devgan did his role well and all the meaty lines went to him, who delivered them with conviction. Shahid Kapur fit in his role of a character who transforms from a simple guy into a rich man indulging in wine and women. Bipasha Basu, as GG’s live-in girlfriend was competent. She added glamour to the movie as expected from her. Pakistni actor Jawed Sheikh looked stiff and expressionless. He should have been an equal match as Ajay Devgan antagonist but his acting wasn’t able to create a drama that Guruji’s role demand. Sushant Singh as Bhajan Lal was an irritant comic. Amrita Rao was good in her performance.

Don’t put too much effort to scale Shikhar, stay levelheaded.

Rating: 2/5