'Aazam' review: Writing is star of engaging, yet inconsistent thriller

Jimmy Sheirgill, Indraneil Sengupta, and Abhimanyu Singh's crime thriller Aazam is a fast-paced drama about an intense power struggle between men placed at different hierarchical levels. Directed by Shravan Tiwari, it boasts of a gripping plot and doesn't waste time on unnecessary sequences, though it's not marked safe from the second half syndrome, where its weaknesses are laid bare for everyone to see.

Twists, turns, and double-crossing loom large as Javed (Sheirgill) joins hands with Kader (Singh) to eliminate the latter's associates who are after his gangster father's wealth, position, and property. The catch is that four murders must happen in a single night. However, the characters' real intent is gradually threaded out as the film progresses, and everyone has a different face buried beneath their veneer.

While Aazam may seem like a run-of-the-mill drama whose story is well past its expiry date, there is more to it than what its first impression might convey. The film moves at a slick pace and the serpentine twists occur every few moments, which keep you invested in the narrative in a way that you care to see what happens to the characters' fates.

Aazam relies heavily on the narrative shifts between the past and the present (often in the same scene), but it still works and the storyline doesn't become too convoluted, with Sheirgill acting both as the central catalyst of the series of events in the story and providing exposition. Treachery and betrayaal become the elements that propel Javed's plan, eventually taking the viewers by surprise.

Aazam's standout aspect is its pacing; there are very few scenes that are out of place or loosely executed, and everything marches ahead with a swift speed that thrillers thrive on. Particularly in the first half, it intends to "show" and not just "tell" the story. Making the events unfold in a single night is an intelligent choice—it raises the stakes and triggers tension.

Despite its merits and strong performances by an ensemble cast (particularly Sengupta, Sheirgill, and Sanjeev Tyagi), the flaws pop their heads from all directions in the second half. The exposition—which was essential pre-interval—becomes tedious and monotonous, and the characters' thoughts and ambitions always work infinitely better when the audience is trusted enough to grasp it themselves. Here, however, we are simply spoonfed.

I am jolted by the lack of female representation here, and in the first half, only three women mumbled some dialogue (I counted). Sure, the mafia world is infested by men, but what is this world where women find absolutely no space, let alone authority? Some films reduce women to their glamor, but Aazam goes a step ahead and completely does away with them.

Elaborating upon the previous point, other gangster drama movies such as the Gangs of Wasseypur series and Satya had notable female characters, and their presence added to, and not derailed the central premise of these movies. With the kind of fleshed-out story and the scope of the plot, Aazam could have gone by the same rule, but it simply chooses not to.

While the fast half doesn't compromise on the momentum, the same cannot be said about some of the second, which is defined by needless ear-screeching background music, and failed attempts at creating tension. There are also some chances of dry humor that the film doesn't grab, and the story begins to spin in the same circle, perhaps biting more than it can chew.

All in all, Aazam is an above-average thriller that benefits from the presence of veteran actors, Sengupta's magnetic presence, and Sheirgill's quiet charm. Its pacing is expeditious and it thrives due to the twists in the writing, but by the time it reaches the finish line, it loses some of its steam, venturing into the predictable category. Wait for it to arrive on OTT.