Divya Shakti (1993)
8/10
Surprisingly Good
25 July 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Bollywood Movies in the 80s and 90s were done to death with the same theme. In the 80s and 90s period, films had the same villainy act, the same old revenge act by the hero after his family gets killed, and the same old romance between hero and heroine. Back then, movies were also quiet sexist as actresses were not given important roles but this is was the 80s and 90s period, can't really do anything to change it. However, there were many some films that were good despite belonging to these previous decades. Divya Shakti is definitely one of them and despite being a box office flop, the film lives up to it's expectations.

Divya Shakti released in 1993 when Ajay Devgan gave a streak of flops. Most of these Ajay Devgan films were either badly made ones like Ek Hi Raasta(1993) or average ones like Platform. Divya Shakti(from my point of view) was his only release in 1993 which I liked watching while the other 6 or 7 releases weren't worth watching.

Divya Shakti is actually typical but better handled than most movies which follow the same theme. Despite the same old story, old injustice done to the hero, the film shows how crime is the winner of all situations in India. This is actually true, crime exists in India because these criminals aren't sent to prison. Either they are captured or they not even touched because the police are all bribed, the corrupt police and the corrupt system of India is the reason why crime is at it's highest point in India. I thought this film would be cringe worthy like Anth(1993) which has a similar story but it was actually quite average. Divya Shakti(released in the same year) is much more superior) Divya Shakti properly shows the common man who witnesses injustice daily but he can't do anything. However, after witnessing a murder, he decides to not be a common man and report. He decides to become an eye witness. This action completely ruins his life and after he has lost everything, he decides to take revenge. This is also well shown in the film, obviously anyone who tries to act against criminals are silenced. In Indian films, what the villains do is try to find the hero's weakness which is usually his sister and use this to their advantage.

Direction by Sameer Malkan is good, he handles most scenes quite well. Despite the typical script, he handles the film well. The Ajay-Alok scenes are well handled, the Ajay-Amrish scenes are a highlight. However, the major weakness of the film is the love story between the lead pair. Sure Raveena makes the audience laugh carelessly dropping things down but her romance with Ajay is not well built. However, in general the film is good.

Ajay Devgan was quite raw for in his early days and despite this, he does a brilliant job as Prashant. He shows the common man becoming a murder well. His expressions are good. Raveen Tandon is good but her role is sidelined, she doesn't have much to do. Amrish Puri is amazing, he is excellent as the villain Tau and nobody could have played this role better than him. Shakti Kapoor irritates as the nephew of Tau. The rest provide decent support.

On the whole, Divya Shakti is a decent action film even for being a typical 90s flick. The film successfully shows how an ordinary man can become a killer due to circumstances. Overall, Divya Shakti does a good job despite being a flop.
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