Department

Of all places one could possibly think of placing a camera, RGVs favourite place is right between the legs. Dont be disgusted please. Ramu ji alway... read more

Of all places one could possibly think of placing a camera, RGVs favourite place is right between the legs. Dont be disgusted please. Ramu ji always has a reason to justify his actions or at least gives one the opportunity to guess. So as per my guess, this new type of camera shot could be called crotchcam or rogue filmmaking.

The following conversation is fictional:

Much before the start of shooting for RGVs Department, everybody including RGV, Big B, Sanjay Dutt and RaNa sat down for a discussion.

RGV: Thank you all for coming on such short notice.

Everybody: Arey Ramu ji, dont worry. Tell us why did you call for this meeting?

RGV: Yes, Im coming to that. I reckon all of you are aware that well be filming Department from next week? However, Im still not convinced with whatll be different about this film from my other films.

Everybody: Well, its yet another take on Mumbai gang life from you. Doesnt that make it special?

RGV: No. Tell me, will you watch the same porn movie with different cast again and again? I doubt!

Everybody: How about adding few seductive songs? Bring your item girls, Nisha or someone.

RGV: All films off late are following the same formula. Im RGV, I dont follow. I innovate

Everybody: So, what have you finally decided?

RGV: Well, I was thinking of an innovative camera shot. Most scenes in the film will be shot through this path breaking camera shot

Everybody: Wow. Whats that Ramu Ji?

RGV: Its called crotchcam, a first-of-its kind innovation. I place the camera right between the legs and give a feel of elevated shot.

Everybody: (Not knowing what to say) thats awesome. I mean, its little awkward but what the heck, lets do it.

RGV: Great, we start shooting tomorrow then.

Everybody: Makes sense but are you sure it wont end up showing the audience something they never wished to see? I guess you know what were talking about?

RGV: Not at all. It will leave everybody in awe undoubtedly.
Jokes apart! RGVs Department stands apart in the most peculiar fashion. It gives the audience a sense of relentless disgust while to a very few viewers, one being me, it makes sense. I dont appreciate RGVs innovation here but nevertheless would take a minute to say, hes got guts to experiment. Do you if you were a filmmaker? Ramu takes his experimentation up a notch by doing the unthinkable. Experiments most of the times end up in a state of denial (failure) for most and Ramu unfortunately is one among them.

Department is an unadulterated taken on Mumbai mafia once again by RGV. The story revolves around the goal of Inspector Mahadev Bhosale (Sanjay Dutt), to eradicate the gangster nexus. He sets up an encounter specialist Department, comprising of righteous cop Shivnarayan (RaNa). Together they hunt down innumerous local goons and work their way up the ladder to lay their hands on Sawatya (Vijay Raaz), one of the two dons ruling Mumbai. Conflict arises between Shiv and Mahadev, after Shiv comes under the shelter of politician Sarjerao Gaikwad (Big B. The shades of grey of each character and lack of trust on each other follow through a series of twists and turns.

In few words, RGVs Department is definitely one of his best films but his worst to conclude. The ensemble cast of Sanjay, Big B and RaNa only heightens expectations but fail to sustain or make any impact. Music is passable while Ramus characters leave you in splits. Big B reprises a nastier version of Sarkar, and Abhimanyu Singh as DK delivers what hes best at, being maniacal.

Not to forget moments of voyeurism, which literally take you to the level of loathing? Nathalia Kaur will definitely flourish in the industry because she knows how to flaunt it. Good luck to her. Department is not RGVs failure but downfall.





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I remember a long time ago, in an interview Rgv had said that he used to watch films he liked in the theatre a second time with his eyes closed. He... read more

I remember a long time ago, in an interview Rgv had said that he used to watch films he liked in the theatre a second time with his eyes closed. He did that to enjoy the sound design of those movies. I guess the time has come to watch Rgv films with eyes closed. The problem is that nowadays you cant even enjoy his films with eyes closed.

Whats it about? - Sanjay Dutt is called in to create a separate department of encounter specialists to eradicate two gangs. He brings in a suspended officer Rana Daggubatti into his team. Together they embark on an encounter killing spree until a gangster turned politician Amitabh Bachchan makes an appearance, after which the film turns into a jigsaw puzzle that calls for a bravery award for any person who tries to figure out whats happening.

My take Rgv experimented shooting a film without a DOP last year in his Telugu film called Dongala Mutha. He repeated the same experiment in Not a love story by taking kids from an institute and giving them digital cameras to shoot the film. Here too he does the same and calls the technique Rogue Filmmaking. I call it Cam Rogue and that song from Prem Rog comes to mind arre kuch nahi hai bhaata jab rogue yeh lag jaata. Yeh hai cam roguei. Iski dawa toh karao. Jao jao jao kisi vaid ko bulao.

His films have become more of a gimmick show and every new release tempts you to enter the theatre to see what new levels of stupidity he has achieved this time around. The thing is you cant live with an Rgv film and you cant live without it. A shot of Sanjay Dutt being punched in his face in super slo mo is precious and made me laugh the loudest. Then there is Madhu Shalini who is the funniest and the most entertaining characters amongst all. All of this is unintentional of course. Giving her company is Abhimanyu Singh. He makes a joke of himself and makes you wonder if Ransa from Gulaal was a fluke. Both of them looked like RGV ke Ishaqzaade. The only actor who comes across sane is Lakshmi Manchu who plays Sanjay Dutts wife. I hope to see more of her but not in an Rgv film of course. The camera technique which the director claims is his usp stays almost still only during Nathalia Kaurs item number. With Not a love story and Department Rgv has covered every nook & corner possible where the camera can be placed. I am curious to know where the camera will go next.

Word of mouth RGV ka Cam Sutra

Rating - ** (Below Average)

Ticket Meter Worth 100 bucks only if you have the sense of humor to enjoy it as a comedy.
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If Madur Bhandarkar ever decides to document the Bollywood-story modelled on the deserving-rise and predictable-fall of a movie-maker, Ram Gopal Ve... read more

If Madur Bhandarkar ever decides to document the Bollywood-story modelled on the deserving-rise and predictable-fall of a movie-maker, Ram Gopal Verma would be the ideal candidate to draw authentic shades and fine gradations from.

Because what has happened to the man who gave us crime-classics like Satya, Company and Sarkar is not only startlingly hard to believe but more disturbing is the underlying psyche of the director that a film like Department quite bluntly reveals.

With a tediously convoluted plot that is haphazardly tied together with a boldly experimental style of filming and editing -- Department, for all its technical breakthrough ends with catastrophic results and could go down in history as the most appalling piece of footage ever filmed; in both ways -- the content as well as the treatment.

A plot which deserves no description, Department is vaguely the story of a hot-headed cop enacted by Sanjay Dutt who forms a special squad to get rid of the burgeoning crime rate in the city. His modus-operandi is the now-infamous strategy popularised by veteran cop Daya Nayak which includes bumping-off criminals on the pretext of an encounter. The scheme also includes creating a fake mob-boss who in turn will hire local sociopaths and get them eventually eliminated so as the cumulative number of criminals comes drastically down. The absurdist idea is sponsored and head-honchoed by an eccentric politician-gangster (Amitabh Bachchan in a nasty version of Sarkar) who allots flats in the city at will and has a demeaning habit of cracking jokes he himself doesnt fully grasp.

Sanjay Dutt hand-picks Rana Dagubatti (battling a thick accent) and the two form a superpower which is undefeatable even if you threw hand-grenades on their faces. When they are on their own and run out of bullets, the other magically appears from across and spills blood of the poor-petty thieves all of whom first look menacing and after seeing either of the two, immediately scandalised. After killing a dozen random criminals of superficial gangs (their interests never fully conveyed), they go to their pads and have dinner with the wives- whose only purpose in the movie being counsellors or food-makers.

There is a Vijay Raaz-led gang which mentors two of screen-historys worst-trained actors and sharp-shooters. The girl is especially creepily treated with the camera panning on the twitching of her lips or -- right in between her legs -- yes exactly that. That the actor is outlandishly amateur in her dialogue delivery doesnt boost the films prospects in any manner.

Most of the characters merely speak their lines with no conviction to back it up. And the dialogue is laughably foolhardy. But nothing prepares you for the crime Verma does with Nathalia Kaur. On the pretext of some goonda to be seen at a shady bar, Nathalia is seen battling with her body while the camera caresses every bit of her flesh it can stick to. It's a grossly outrageous number youd have ever laid your eyes on -- plainly inserted to titilate God-knows-who -- and the commodified woman is validation of a murky mentaliy of a once-reverred filmmaker.

The camera in this film has more personality than the film itself and is popularly the title character of the film. It is fitted in unexplored and otherwise impossible territories, which is a great attempt, apart from the fact that it shoots something that doesnt even qualify as a film. It looks as if the equipment entered a theme park which only had dangerous roller-coasters as main attractions and it went on trying every one of them, repeatedly. So you see the screen shift with ridiculous intensity, a non-stop 360 degree turn and random close-ups which make the actors look scarily unflattering. As if these stints werent distracting enough, they are punctuated with an over exaggerated background score and shifting monochromatic screens which totally take your attention away from the already failed attempt at story-telling.

Amid this nightmarishly treated picture where the screenplay fluctuates almost at pace with the summer-salting camera -- theres absolutely nothing other than substandard entertainment of the C-grade variety to endure.

It is puzzling how Verma still manages to get top-notch actors to play parts in his movies and even more puzzling is the fact that he gets in financers. He was known to ensure a riotous crowd at the turnstiles when he came up with his crime sagas, most of them revealing in content extremely well-performed.

Department does absolutely nothing but defame him further as the master of film-killing.
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At atleast one point in time, I have been a fan of the pivotal players of this game Department. RGV(Rangeela), Sanjay Dutt(Vaastav) & Amitabh B... read more

At atleast one point in time, I have been a fan of the pivotal players of this game Department. RGV(Rangeela), Sanjay Dutt(Vaastav) & Amitabh Bachchan(40 years of legendary stuff); so when they all come together in a seemingly weird looking venture, I hope its atleast watchable, if not great. So how does Department fare?
This one makes RGV is Aag look like The Dark Knight.

The story is about 2 cops waging a war against crime. They form a separate department to do this. Do they manage?
All they manage to do is play with the audience till you give up. No seriously. While this film doesnt warrant a review, following are some of the reasons why you may choose/choose not to watch Department:

1. Tight shots of an unshapely Sanjay Dutt. These include crotch-shots, leg-shots.
2. Tight shots of a weirdly stupid villains moll, sucking on a malai kulfi & seductively eating an apple. These include crotch-shots, leg-shots, ass-shots.
3.Tight shots of Deepak Tijori (Yes, you read right).
4.Tight shots of choreographer Ganesh Acharya shaking his moneymaker.
5.Deepak Tijori dancing.
6.The legend Mr.Amitabh Bachchan with an Agneepath hangover. Sir, you deserve much better.
7.An item number that will send a shiver down your spine. I havent seen anything this cringeworthy since Kaanta Laga. Nathalia Kaur gyrating in her nothings. Literally.
8.A dialogue that has a reference to a pigeon wiping its derrire to become fair.

If you arent aware, let me fill you in on the shooting style. RGV has gone all over talking about the innovative way in which the film has been shot. I guarantee you, if every person in the hall doesnt have a headache in the first 10 minutes, I shall quit writing. The camera moves from first person, to the face, to the thighs, to inside cups & behind the steering wheel. All this is on loop as the camera goes round and round the mulberry bush all through 130 minutes. While we are all of for innovation, its not at the cost of being tortured. Please do share experiences.

The only half-star this film gets is for the effort put in by Rana Dagubatti. This fellow tries his level best to bring some semblance to this madness. Hope he gets chooses films in the future.

As for the rest, all I can say is that Ram Gopal Varma has made some fine films in his time, but this is just unreal. To see such a film hit screens pains you as it has names whom we have loved & who have enthralled us with great cinema earlier.

I hope atleast one of his financiers reads this review/note & believes that someone who is a fan of the movies has been wronged.

P.S - And NO, its not unintentionally funny either. You will thank me for saving your money view less

\tGod said, "Let Newton be!" and all was Light.\r\r\t \r\r\tI say, "Let RGV be!" and all was Movie Camera.\r\r\t \r\r\tIn a lan... read more

\tGod said, "Let Newton be!" and all was Light.\r
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\tI say, "Let RGV be!" and all was Movie Camera.\r
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\tIn a land where film-makers have cinematic eye for detail this rare genius believes in cinematographic eye for detail. The man who pioneered the use of steadicam in Indian cinema takes on the existing norms of cinematography with his newly founded love - Canon EOS 5D camera. He used few of them without a Director of Photography and abracadabra... RGV's Department is ready!!\r
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\tRGV's constant exploration of the nexus between the underworld and the law, and showcasing it with new modes of storytelling using his cranky camera forms the crux of Department. The movie encompasses the nexus of business and crime called politics, crime and business of politics, and the politics and business in crime with finesse. The frantic pacing of an often told tale of cops cleansing the city keeps you on edge of the seat. Of all the members of the cast, Amitabh emerges as a winner. \r
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\tRana Daggubati plays an ordinary man with conscience and believes in honesty. He is a star in the movie and gets a full length role with more screen presence than Sanjay Dutt. He delivers a lot in the action sequences as per the demand. Madhu Shalini got a role of her lifetime, but she along with Mumbaiya dialect speaking Abhimanyu Singh are simply absurd. As a fan of Quentin Tarantino, RGV seems to have taken these characters from Natural Born Killers, but Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis would run away if they see these two on screen.\r
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\tConfusions galore over Department - It's not just that the police in this film are indistinguishable from the mafia, or that the mafia is indistinguishable from the politicians. When the nexus is established in the second half you feel relaxed. There are some scenes in the movie where you wait for an epic moment to occur. But alas, nothing of that epic sort happens, or even mini epics. Some scenes don't fit in the narrative and seem to be forcibly fit. Careful guys, shabby editing can kill a movie. Another thumb down moment in the film is the much hyped Nathalia Kaur's item number 'Dan Dan Cheeni.'\r
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\tCompany was a journalistic probe into the politics within an underworld organization and in Department RGV dons a journalistic cap to fathom the depth of politics within the police department. The way of capturing drama along with the subject matter and action sequences stands out in Department. The script is interesting, but its execution can drive you crazy. The only difference between loads of other gangster flicks and Department is RGV's restless camera. You will stay puzzled after the movie thinking about the difference between an illegally legal business and a legally illegal one!!\r
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\tDepartment is yet another path-breaking product in the crime genre of Hindi cinema that resorts to unconventional storytelling. A strong idea and an intent to tell a story in the most genuine way makes a truly great director. A real director always tries to satisfy his storytelling quest, not the audience. And only in this he achieves perfection and RGV proves it again.\r
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