‘Ghayal Once again’ is the sequel of 1990 blockbuster ‘Ghayal’, for which Sunny Deol sat on the Director’s hat for the first time! Unfortunately, he forgot to take out the 90’s element out of it. The flick can be termed as a classic tale of good vs. evil. The movie becomes a game of cat and mouse. Attempt to save the teens and an unusual turn of revelation gives the movie a super emotional twist. I would advise that unless you don’t have anything to do this weekend, watch this action film but trust us, it is bound to leave you ‘Ghayal’!
Ghayal Once Again is a film that actually has potential but wanes out. Modelled on the Jason Bourne series, there is the thrill quotient in the action – two long chase sequences are worth watching. A lot of screaming and torture happens too, but we’re hooked somehow. And that’s the only good part. Everytime Sunny Deol becomes silent for more than two seconds, we know what to expect. And he obliges by screaming on top of his lungs. Meanwhile, foreigners keep getting busted and beaten. For a movie whose sole sales pitch is ‘ghayal’ man himself, there’s no point in chaffing out logic here. And there is no one to stop him; Deol is also the director. is a throwback to Sunny Deol’s angry common man persona made in the ‘90s. It’s a terribly made film with nothing much to offer except Narendra Jha’s performance as the suave villain. I have borne the pain so that you can live in peace. The ‘dhai kilo ka haath’ shows its age and gives you enough time to duck. So duck.
It is amply clear from the very outset that the quaintly antiquated Ghayal Once Again is unlikely to achieve its avowed goal - help Sunny Deol's dhaai kilo ka haath regain its lost box-office potency. Several other Bollywood stars have since moved into the fists of fury space and the deadly Deol's dumbbells and decibels are no longer as saleable as they once were. What separates Ghayal Once Again from most other Bollywood franchises is that it is a genuine sequel to the 1990 super hit Ghayal and takes off from where the previous film left. Sunny Deol's acting takes the standard path. He hollers when he is angry, he scowls when he is flummoxed, and he breathes fire when he means business. It is a style that belongs to the Stone Age. Soha Ali Khan, playing a psychiatrist treating the hero for his blackouts and meltdowns, is always at hand to remind him to pop the prescribed pills before he careens out of control. But obviously, she does not have the power to extend any such favours to the audience. So watch Ghayal Once Again at your own risk and only if you can withstand the relentless onslaught it unleashes.
Direction isn’t his natural vocation as evident in the middling Ghayal Once Again, which starts out wobbly but gains substantial momentum till interval point only to go completely haywire in its latter half. There’s only one solid reason to watch this reboot -- Sunny Deol. The action hero returns to serve some old fashioned justice in Ghayal Once Again as the still seething, still suffering Ajay Mehra like only he can. If also it could deliver the stamp of sharp, solid filmmaking like only the man who conceived Ajay Mehra can.
‘Ghayal Once Again’ picks up threads from where the original had left off (there are brief flashbacks to prove it), borrows a character from the previous film, and presents the same leading man as older and grizzled, but as filled with hurt and rage as before, doing what he did before: acting as a one-man army against the corrupt system. Sunny Deol is still a lethal weapon and can blow his opponent all the way across the room. Sunny the director should just get out his way.
Deol fairly manages to retain the essence of Santoshi's blockbuster, while giving it a contemporary twist. While the good-old dialoguebaazi and hand-to-hand combat scenes are in place, digitalisation in today's world (computer hacking, phone tapping etc) has been highlighted too. Though not as emotionally engaging as the original, the sequel delivers what it promises on the action front. Skilfully shot, elaborate nail-biting chase sequences across the city leave you glued to your seats, gasping for breath. Heavy-duty fist fights are equally gripping. Despite the flaws, Sunny's idealistic film exudes the sincerity and unbreakable spirit of a common man. If you mess with us, "We will find you and we will punch you." Watch it.
What do you expect from a Sunny Deol flick? Lots of action, punches and some hard-hitting dialogues? But, his latest outing 'Ghayal Once Again' which was earlier titled 'Ghayal Returns' lacks in these core Sunny Deol speciality areas. We are even taken back to 1990s cult 'Ghayal', as clippings are smartly interjected into the script. We feel nostalgic while watching Sunny and Meenakshi Seshadri once again. Cut to 2016, where politicians and media moguls are seen hand-in-glove while committing a crime. Thank God the maker in him felt the need to not put unwanted songs in the script as it would have been a complete let down. You can watch it for a weekend watch—after all Sunny Paji is back!