Star Cast of Red Alert: Suniel Shetty, Sameera Reddy, Naseeruddin Shah, Vinod Khanna, Gulshan Grover, Seema Biswas, Bhagyashree, Murli Sharma, Makrand Deshpande, Ayesha Dharker, Ashish Vidyarthi, Ehsaan Khan, Sunil Sinha, Zakir Hussain
Red Alert is a very different movie. The fact that it is a different movie is established by the makers of the film right at the stat itself. While most movie makers dealing with a realistic and controversial subject tend to call their film a work of fiction, diverting from the usual trend set by the film makers, the makers of this film have started it by acknowledging the fact that it is based on a true story. Further, Red Alert is also different because it revolves around and highlights the difficult issue of Naxalite, which is soon becoming one of the serious problems in the country.
If you actually think of it, the idea of making a film on poor villagers of Andhra Pradesh for whom even surviving itself is a challenge, in itself is very dull. At the same time, it is also a very risky idea because who will want to see a film on this issue when by reading and watching news repots in newspaper and Television on a daily basis, we know all about it.
But, that is precisely the point where the makers of the film need to be complimented. They have made an ordinary subject look extraordinary and have made sure that with a good screenplay, which is then carried out equally beautifully, they give you a film that hold your attention throughout. The film, which starts on the issue of Naxal, soon turns story of a man, who is struggling to get food for his family and send his children to school. You then start seeing a little bit of yourself in him and even sympathize with him.
The film is a story of a man Narsimha (Suniel Shetty), a farm laborer, who to earn some money for sending his children to school, starts delivering food to Nasxals based in jungles. He then has to undergo training in weapons, and despite not wanting to do so, helps the Naxals in illegal activities like killing and kidnapping. The situation gets worse for him when his relations with Naxal leaders get sour and he is on the hit list of both the police and the Naxals.
Director Anant Mahadevan needs to be congratulated for the fact that though he has tried the difficult task of making a different kind of film with the usual Bollywood actors, he has succeeded to a large extent by bringing them out of their typecast images. A perfect example of this is Suniel, who has an image of a bold action hero, but in this film plays a helpless and timid man, who runs for cover and faints after watching two opposite fractions firing at one another. Sameera Reddy also bears a totally different look in the film.
The film becomes better and more powerful as it moves ahead. The second hour of the film takes it to a new height and grips all your attention. But the climax of the film is weak and at the end you feel that the director has somehow lost his way in the final bit or so.
But despite this falter at the end, director Anant Mahadevan has managed to handle a difficult subject in a matured manner. He has been also supported well by Aruna Raje’s screenplay, K. Rajkumar’s cinematography and Allan Amin’s action.
Suniel Shetty has given one of his finest performances of his life in this film. Suniel has shown that his success in Bollywood was no fluke and he is a good actor. Apart from Suniel, the film also includes powerful performances by Sameera Reddy, Seema Biswas, Ayesha Dharkar, Ashish Vidyarthi, Gulshan Grover, Bhagyashree, Makrand Deshpande and Zakir Hussain. The film also has Naseeruddin Shah, in a guest appearance.
The film may not be promoted all that well but still if you want to see thoughtful and relevant cinema, go and watch this film.
