Apne is definitely one of Anil Sharma's better films in recent times (although it will in no way be able to even remotely match the box office success of Gadar) and rides completely on the shoulders of Dharmendra. Apne is full of more that its fair share of flaws at various levels, especially the script, music and editing, yet it is Dharmendra's performance that keeps the audiences hooked.
Apne attempts a subject never taken on in Hindi cinema before and even though several scenes are 'inspired' from the Rocky series (especially portions in the boxing ring and the training), the film is meant to reach out to those who yearn for family dramas, and who are not expecting path-breaking cinema. What disappoints the most is that Apne had all the right tools in place to be a brilliant film and yet Anil Sharma resorts to melodramatic moments and clichés which reduce Apne to just another average Hindi film. Even the boxing matches, fought by both Bobby and then later Sunny, although a great attempt, are not up to par simply because it is evident that neither has gone through enough training to look like they are really boxers. The punches look like any regular fight sequence as opposed to a trained boxer delivering blows, and neither are in the physical shape that they can pass off as boxers (maybe Bobby couldn't achieve Hrithik's toned six-packs of Dhoom 2 but the clearly visible flab could have probably been trimmed). With interesting concepts like an ex-boxer who feels he is a failure and a disgrace even after winning India's first Olympic silver medal in boxing, a strained father-son relationship, the state of sports, particularly boxing, in India, and finally the fact that matching fixing is not an Indian phenomena and exists even in places like America where match fixing in sports like boxing is rampant, one feels let down with the final product.
Karan's (Bobby Deol – fits the bill of the Rockstar but seems a misfit as the boxer) arm has been immobile since childhood, yet miraculously gets cured in one single incident, and even more miraculous is that fact it becomes strong enough in such a short period of time, that he can become a professional boxer. This basic premise is extremely far fetched especially when the film starts by introducing the audience to Balawant (Dharamendra at his best), an Olympic silver medalist who was framed for doping and banned from boxing for 15 years, an extremely realistic scenario, which sets the audiences expectations. If that wasn't enough, Angad (Sunny Deol looking old and tired and definitely anything but a boxer), who hasn't taken to the ring in 10 years, manages to train himself to fight the World Boxing Champion in a matter of one month, something which gets a few snickers and comments from the audiences, akin to his taking on the entire Pakistani army solo in Gadar. Also, what comes as a surprise is that a director of Anil Sharma's caliber ignores basic continuity in the film; when Karan is in America for the tournament, his family and friends are shown to be gathered at his house watching the fights in Punjab – the problem is that over the course of several matches which go across several days, all the characters including Angad and his wife Simran (Shilpa Shetty in a role which doesn't leave much scope for performance but she still manages a strong screen presence) remain in the same clothes and the same seat as though the matches are taking place consecutively! Furthermore the unnecessary track of the comedian wanting to be trained in boxing is something which can be done away with completely as it has no relevance and acts only as a speed breaker in the plot.
The film is built around Baldev's character and one can not imagine anyone else but Dharmendra pulling off this role. Whether it be his romantic looks at his wife (Kirron Kher, dependable as usual), his interactions with his daughter-in-law and grandson or the turmoil that he faces even thirty years after being accused of doping and not being given the chance to redeem himself. His anguish is well conveyed and even the subtly in which you realize that he has become a man who is even willing to risk his son's life, in order to kill his own ghosts is superb. The character is the most developed, and Dharmendra takes to it like a fish in water. Even at the age of 70, he manages to look 'cute' in several scenes, especially when he is shown riding his bike. One only wishes that if all the characters had been developed as realistically as this, the film would have been several notches above what it ends up being.
The film can easily be trimmed by more than a half hour and the editing (by Ashfaque Makrani) is extremely loose, while the sound effects during the boxing matches make you cringe rather than engross you into the fights. The music is a sore point and it looks like Himesh was too busy focusing on his acting debut to do any justice to the score of Apne; the frequent renditions of lines from the title track adds only to the melodrama and achieves nothing else. Kabir Lal's cinematography succeeds in bringing out the rich earthiness and green pastures of Punjab.
On a whole, Anil Sharma should be applauded for attempting a unique and original idea, but he should then be rebuked for botching it up with unrealistic moments, over melodramatic scenes, dosed with clichés throughout. Watch this one for Dharam Paaji and the chemistry of the Deols only.
