Officer Review: Falls short of its promise

Ram Gopal Varma's forte has always been action films, but his recent outings have all suffered from having very little in terms of story. His new film Officer (based on real incidents) is testament to the ever-growing belief that the director, once known for making engrossing films like Shiva, Rangeela, Satya and Company, has lost his mojo. It is the kind of film that could have been so much more, but is let down by a weak screenplay and patchy execution.

Direction: Ram Gopal Varma
Cast: Nagarjuna, Myra Sareen, Ajay

Encounter specialist Narayan Passari is the man responsible for eradicating the underworld mafia that has spread tentacles of terror in Mumbai. He wins accolades for his courage and his name sends shivers down the spine of the underworld -- thanks to his chasing and gunning down of criminals. All the fame and glory comes back to bite him in the form of a fake encounter and the High Court appoints Shivaji Rao (Nagarjuna) as the chief of SIT to probe the case. Shivaji and his team keep a close eye on Passari's movements. One day, they hold him guilty, but the case is dismissed due to lack of evidence. The rest of the story is how Shivaji tries to expose the nexus of Passari with the evil side of life. 

Twenty minutes into the film, the audience can easily guess who the baddie is. The problem with Officer is the amateurish direction by RGV. The premise is interesting premise but the execution is faulty. Most characters in the film end up appearing one-dimensional as they haven’t been fleshed out well enough.

Officer is a film you can't take seriously; it's a film told so unrealistically on every level that all you can do is laugh at it. It simply depicts bloodbath, guns, and violence without any twists or turns.

Nagarjuna's casual approach to delivering a performance convinces you that his heart wasn't in it. Myra Sareen, as his colleague goes, around with a poker face and leaves an impression that she hasn't taken a single acting lesson. The little girl's performance as Shalu seems deliberately melodramatic.

From titled camera angles and loud background score, Officer has everything one would expect from a director who is living in his past glory. The film is weighed down by a flawed script and it’s hard to feel anything other than frustration watching it, given how the cliché-filled story meanders ruining what could have been an interesting subject. RGV and his Officer fall short of the promise, yet again!