A remake is always a risky business especially when the original is a cult classic. The original which was also a Dharma Production release was a box-office failure but became a cult classic. And Karan Johar has left no stone unturned to market this film into an event film but has Karan Malhotra the debutant director  been able to recreate the magic of Mukul Anand? Has Hrithik been able to fill in the big boots of Amitabh Bachchan in one of his best performances ever?

Unfortunately the answer is a big No! The movie is a predictable movie which has too much of the 80s feel which doesn't auger well with the proceedings. Technical brilliancy and Hrithik's passionate acting tries desperately to make the movie a decent watch but unfortunately the remake is still not a patch on the original.

The story is about a revolutionary & honest school teacher, Dinanath Chauhan who tries to educate and reform a small village in Maharashtra called Mandwa. Enter, the evil Kancha who tries to lease out the villager's land to produce drugs. Kancha plans and kills Dinanath who comes in his way. Dinanath's son Vijay pledges to take revenge against Kancha and bring back the glory of his father's name. But he and his mother have already escaped from Kancha's clutches and have gone to Mumbai. How will Vijay take revenge? Will Kancha become extremely powerful by the time Vijay comes to avenge his father's death? Well, Yes as you have guessed it by now. But how? 

Agneepath is not a scene by scene replica of the 90s hit movie but after the end of the movie we just wish it was. The basic story remains the same but the remake has morphed into an illogical, unfocused parade of beautiful people trying desperately to recapture the magic of the original. Karan Malhotra misses his mark completely. From the amateurish reactions of the co-actors throughout the movie to the illogical subplots and baseless characters it makes a mockery of the original. A Villain who is afraid of looking at himself in a glass and a mentally challenged son of a don character seemed at the onset to be a perfect foil for great twists but unfortunately Mr. Karan Malhotra just doesn't seem to like too many twists. The first half does go a bit rapidly and the second half which is loaded with 4 songs tumbles and crawls its way to the finale. The movie is not all bad, there are some amazingly shot scenes like the scene where Hrithik's sister comes to meet him the first time or when Hrithik kills Kancha's henchmen by saying the famous dialogue, "Vijay Chauhan! Vijay Dinanath Chauhan! poora naam, baap ka naam Dinanath Chauhan, gaon Mandwa" and the entire theatre erupts. The director tries to show Heroism which works sometimes but it gets a bit too much by the half way mark.

The movie belongs to Hrithik Roshan, he looks great and acts with passion as always. He seems to be perfectly cast and will surely make Amitabh proud with his performance. The much hyped Sanjay Dutt's Kancha's portrayal is good only in parts, and the rest of the time he hams. He does terrorize you with his serious look and when he smiles, but bad dialogues and constant mood swings make him look like a Joker instead of the dangerous Kancha character which was immortalized by Danny Denzongpa in the original. Priyanka Chopra suffers from bad characterization but she enacts her part well. Rishi Kapoor is just about ok, but could have done much better. He seemed badly cast in a villainous role. Om Puri is as reliable as always. The rest of the cast just can’t seem to get over their 80s film fascination.

Technically the movie boasts of great camera work by Ravi K Chandran and Kiran Deohans. The shots are amazingly planned and every single frame speaks about the excellence of the cinematographer. Action by Abbas Ali Moghul is fierce and powerful. Music by Ajay and Atul has too much of a Maharashtrian flavour but very hummable, especially 'Abhi Mujh Main Kahin', 'Gun Gun Guna' and of course 'Chikni Chameli'. But the movie does fall a bit flat in the art direction side with the sets which looks staged, especially Mandwa Village's set.  Background score reminds you of the movie 'Sarkar Raj'. Dialogues seem to be written by amateurs which carries hardly any punch.

Overall it is a lost opportunity. Expect great numbers in the first big weekend but sustaining for a long run will be tough. Watch it for Hrithik and the technical excellency.

Verdict: Revamped remake not a patch on the original.