Review of movie AIYAARY

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 Rating: 3.5

‘Aiyaary’ has all the makings of a Neeraj Pandey thriller. The honest and dutiful officer Colonel Abhay Singh (Manoj Bajpayee) leads covert operations with a select group of officers. Things go awry for him and his team when Sidharth Malhotra’s Jai Bakshi – the brightest of the lot – goes rogue. Abhay Singh has to track him down while defending everything he believes in.

Neeraj Pandey’s movies are known for strong character actors, and this one’s no different. To no one’s surprise, the always reliable Manoj Bajpayee gives another compelling turn as a steadfast officer bound by duty. He is the backbone of the film and is believable as a man capable of going to great lengths to complete the task at hand. Although his intent to take down his own protege is clear, his conundrum while chasing Jai Bakshi is palpable.

Speaking of which, Sidharth Malhotra is at home playing an officer who becomes disillusioned by the system he has sworn to uphold. He brings a methodical, calm and collected demeanor to Jai Bakshi, and is suitably convincing as a soldier whose skills put him one step ahead of his superiors. Rakul Preet Singh brings a lot of charm to her role but merely ends up being Jai’s love interest. Thankfully, not much time is wasted on their romance. Pooja Chopra starts off with a hint of potential but her character Maya only gets to play a loyalist to Abhay Singh. Among the Neeraj Pandey favorites – Anupam Kher as Tariq Ali feels underutilized. Although Naseeruddin Shah’s Baburao is locked away for most of the film, he becomes relevant at a crucial point, where the thespian more than makes up for his absence. Unfortunately, it comes a little too late in the film.