For
all
its
flaws,
Agni is
a
clutter-breaking
film,
and
its
portrayal
of
the
lives
of
firefighters
is
a
case
of
better
late
than
never,
observes
Deepa
Gahlot.
Soldiers
and
police
officers
have
been
lionised
in
many
films.
Rahul
Dholakia’s
Agni
asks
why
firefighters,
who
also
risk
their
lives
to
save
people,
are
never
given
their
due.
‘Can
you
name
a
single
firefighter?’
asks
a
disgruntled
character
in
the
film,
and
it’s
true.
The
layperson
would
not
be
able
to
because
their
live-saving
work
is
taken
for
granted.
As
the
protagonist
of
Agni,
Vitthal
Surve
(Pratik
Gandhi),
observes
bitterly,
not
even
his
son
is
proud
of
him.
The
kid
admires
his
uncle,
a
swaggering
cop,
Samit
Sawant
(Divyendu
Sharma),
whose
exploits
are
always
in
the
media,
while
firefighters
only
appear
in
death
notices.
Samit
lives
in
a
swanky
apartment,
while
Vitthal
lives
in
a
tiny
flat
over
the
fire
station.
His
wife,
Rukmini
(Sai
Tamhankar),
has
a
removing
the
evil
eye
kind
of
ritual
she
performs
every
time
he
comes
home
because
she
is
never
sure
he
will
return
after
entering
a
burning
building.
At
the
fire
station,
a
team
member
also
performs
an
elaborate
routine,
every
morning,
as
if
to
appease
the
gods.
Often,
the
firefighters
under
his
charge
—
including
the
sole
female,
Avni
(Saiyami
Kher)
—
go
without
sleep
for
days
because
every
time
a
call
comes,
they
have
to
be
ready
to
rush
to
the
site.
Avni
has
a
romantic
interest
in
fellow
firefighter,
Jazz
(Udit
Arora).
In
focusing
on
Vittal
and
his
resentments,
Dholakia
misses
out
perhaps
on
an
interesting
Avni
story,
like
how
did
a
woman
decide
on
joining
the
fire
brigade?
Having
chosen
an
unusual
subject,
Dholakia
and
his
co-writer
Vijay
Maurya
come
up
with
a
paint-by-numbers
script,
talking
more
than
showing
the
causes
of
fire
in
Mumbai
—
the
flouting
of
fire
safety
rules,
corruption
in
the
department
in
charge
of
enforcing
regulations
and
political
apathy.
The
deputy
chief
minister
(Anant
Jog)
is
portrayed
as
a
buffoon,
who
is
not
bothered
about
the
increasing
cases
of
fire
in
the
city.
The
population
density
makes
Mumbai
a
disaster
waiting
to
happen.
There
is
often
arson
involved,
and
an
unscrupulous
builder
taking
advantage
by
buying
charred
properties
cheap.
The
film
picks
up
real
incidents
of
major
fires
in
Mumbai,
like
the
one
in
a
hotel
or
a
coaching
class.
Apart
from
fires,
there
have
been
several
building
collapses
too,
which
would
come
under
the
purview
of
the
Fire
Brigade.
However,
the
thriller
and
far-fetched
revenge
aspect
that
is
added
on
—
it
would
be
a
spoiler
to
reveal
details
—
negates
a
lot
of
points
Vitthal
raises
in
the
film.
The
climax
could
not
have
been
more
predictable.
The
fire
and
rescue
scenes
are
terrifying,
nevertheless,
and
the
courage
of
the
firefighters
is
exemplary.
Which
is
what
makes
Agni
a
worthy
tribute
to
the
bravehearts
of
the
Fire
Brigade.
Pratik
Gandhi
brings
his
role
alive.
The
humour
in
his
interactions
with
a
traffic
cop,
the
sniping
with
brother-in-law
Samit
and
the
tenderness
with
his
wife,
he
gets
it
all
down
with
remarkable
ease.
Divyendu
Sharma
does
not
have
much
to
do
but
he
lightens
up
the
sombre
mood
of
the
film
when
he
is
on
screen.
It’s
admirable
how
the
women,
Saiyami
Kher
and
Sai
Tamhankar,
are
not
sidelined
but
are
given
parts
that
convey
their
strength
of
character.
For
all
its
flaws,
Agni
is
a
clutter-breaking
film,
and
its
portrayal
of
the
lives
of
firefighters
is
a
case
of
better
late
than
never.
Agni
streams
on
Amazon
Prime
Video.
Agni
Review
Rediff
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