Azaad (2000) User Reviews

Flop Movie

[vinnz · 4/10 · 13 August 2006]

Inspired by the Hindi movie 'Main Azad Hoon' which was a remake of the English movie 'Meet John Doe'. This movie attempts to mix some humor and masala with a serious theme but fails to succeed. Nagarjuna and Soundarya deliver good performance. Shilpa Shetty provides the occasional song and dance. There is also the family sentiment part which is essential for any telugu movie. One would have probably expected more out of a movie with such a good star cast and supporting staff. The music is okay but not enough to save the movie.

Raghuvaran as always a pretty good playing the villain. Prakash Raj plays the cop who is out to discover the true identity of Azad. I believe the movie could have succeeded with the telugu viewer if they had stuck to the original comedy theme of 'Meet John Doe'.

Quite overwhelming

[suchenwi · 8/10 · 16 May 2009]

This movie has a nominal runtime of 147 minutes on the DVD I have, and it packs quite a chock-full into that. It has of course romance (a boy between two girls), song & dance as expectable, but also thrilling drama, with the top baddie a high Hindu priest who really is a Pakistani Muslim zombie, several bomb explosions, fraudulent finance companies, self-incineration, brief touches of Zorro and Rambo (and just remotely John Doe, as someone commented), brief lashes at corrupt policemen and politicians, but also a police officer as second hero who gives an elaborate speech comparing India and Pakistan, before he exclaims "Jay Hind!" and shoots himself with an Indian gun, rather than being shot with a Pakistani one...

Understandably, dialogs go rapid fire, so that the subtitles more than once can't keep up. But yet, the cinematography is often brilliant and pleasingly surprising, with realistic street scenes as well as interesting abstract stage sets.. and even a few scenes in Switzerland (seemingly the Indian Shangri-La)are thrown in, as well as a train kidnapping with 1200 hostages..

A very powerful piece. A breathless power pack. When the 2.5 hours were over, I felt exhausted. But for the moment, I declare this the most exciting Bollie of the about 40 I've seen.