Review: ‘Allah Ke Banday’ is a dark world of juvenile delinquency

Spicezee Bureau

Faruk Kabir’s ‘Allah Ke Bandey’ is a powerful exposé of Mumbai’s underbelly region, which takes immense pleasure in glorifying the world of crime. Starring Naseeruddin Shah, Sharman Joshi, Faruk Kabir, Anjana Sukhani and Atul Kulkarni in promising roles, ‘Allah Ke Bandey’ shows the life of two slum kids and their fast depleting moral universe. A fast pace and edgy flick, ‘Allah Ke Bandey’ is filled with brute passion and aggression as it shows the dark world of juvenile delinquency and its ramifications on the psyche of human being. ‘Allah Ke Bandey’ offers a griping storyline, which has a deeply concern for impoverished children, who take up crime. As the title suggests, the street kids taking up crime are also the children of God, who are at once turned social outcasts. The gripping narrative takes us through the world of petty crime and underage lawlessness non-judgmentally. Faruk Kabir`s deeply-felt concern for children who dodder dangerously on the edge of society is never overdone. The director creates a world of uncertainties with unwavering confidence. The nervous anxiety of the characters is rather aptly replicated in the film`s rough and unvarnished look. Kabir`s cameraman Vishal Sinha goes through the rugged merciless slums searching for only Allah-knows what. The actors wear their unwashed demeanour casually, so much so that at times we forget the existence of the camera. At the same time, there are uneven sections in the narrative that mar what could otherwise have been a standout exposition on the genesis of social outcasts. Sharman Joshi and Faruk Kabir play the two driving forces of the plot with a deep understanding of their characters and the milieu. Both seem to have got right their characters` physicality and then proceed to explore their inner worlds. For a first-time actor and director, Faruk Kabir handles both his jobs with more than a reasonable amount of compelling confidence. The others in the cast merge into the relentless milieu. As usual, the extraordinarily brilliant Naseeruddin Shah is under-used. Whenever he shows up on screen, an extra dimension is effortlessly added to the proceedings. Notches above the run-of-the-mill entertainer is the genuine concern for juvenile delinquency. The lives on the streets never looked more dangerous and less glamorous. This time, crime is not glorified. Thank god for small mercies. ‘Allah Ke Bandey’ is not just another run-of-the-mill entertainer but a piece of realistic cinema that shows the perilous world of street kids. Ratings: Three cheers for this one! (with IANS inputs)