Maximum (2012)

Movies based upon Politicians interfering and manipulating Police Department is a common theme in Indian film industry, but a movie based upon internal power game where all the major players belong to department only, promises to be a fresh concept. Maximum deals with the power struggle between two cops in Mumbai police, one played by Sonu Sood other by Naseerudin Shah. The movie starts with backdrop of 2003 and ends somewhere on the later part of 2008.

Sonu Sood is the blue eyed boy of Mumbai Police, an encounter specialist, having good backing in the form of a supportive higher police official, and a politician from the political party in power. Competition arrives in form of Naseerudin Shah, who starts shaking the boat. The power struggle results in forming of groups and both the groups wants to acquire more power by weakening the other party, and even killing other party’s underworld informer becomes trend. And there is a journalist who is a neutrally watching both the sides. Interesting! You bet, but then the director commits major mistakes.

The premise, where power struggle of two cops, neither of whom could be called as positive character, being witnessed by a bystander contains a lot of promise, but suddenly the director starts taking sides, he focuses on Sonu’s character, comfortably ignoring the back story or no character development of Naseeruddin Shah (which is a sin, not a mistake), even the neutral bystander stars supporting Sonu’s side.

Now we are left with the hero of the movie who doesn’t have a morale standing against the other group, because their side is no different from the other. An additional problem the movie faces is the treatment of the movie very highly resembles ‘Sahar’ another movie by the same director. Which makes the pace of the movie slower then it should have been.

The end of the movie may remind you of any Quentin Tarantino movie, where every character has drawn gun towards the other actor, and this portion diluted any effect the movie may have so far generated, the director should have gone for a more sensible climax.

Overall the movie is ok; one time watch for anyone who likes the genre, but for me the most remembered part of the movie would be the screw up that the director did with ‘Aa Ante Annapuram’.

Rating **