Film Review: Ghayal Once Again

Sunny Deol returns once again as Ajay Mehra, a righteous man with a feared right hook. Ghayal Once Again opens with a black and white recap of the events of 1990, which saw Mehra imprisoned. This sequel, directed by Deol, unfolds in 2015, with Mehra still plagued by the demons of his past. Now, he leads a group of vigilantes committed to meting out justice when the system fails. In this, he’s supported by his neurologist, Rhea (Soha Ali Khan).

The crux of the plot revolves around the suspicious death of RTI activist Joe (Om Puri). Four teenagers stumble upon a video clip that exposes the truth behind Joe’s death, one that incriminates the megalomaniac son of a powerful and arrogant industrialist with a hotline to MPs. Industrialist Bansal (Narendra Jha) lives with his wife, mother, son and daughter in a high-rise with its own helipad, which looks curiously like the most expensive private residence in India.

The teenagers put their faith in Mehra to help them get the video into the right hands, but Bansal’s reach and determination to protect his son Kabir is so blind and bold that he chases, kidnaps, kills and beats up arbitrarily. But with Mehra and his heavy-duty punch on Bansal’s tail, there is an abundance of action scenes that are extremely well designed by Parvez Shaikh and ably supported by Chandan Arora’s deft editing. It’s the long action sequences that hold your interest. The emotional core too is intact, compensating for the shrill supporting cast and tacky computer-generated imagery. Deol is sincere and still evokes whistles when he lets loose his right hook. Fans of the Deol brand of action won’t be disappointed.

Ghayal Once Again released in theatres on Friday.