SMART WRITING ENSURES A ROUSING EXPERIENCE

THERE is a delightful old-school essence spread across Rahul Dholakia's Agni. Its portrayal of Mumbai and Mumbaikars seems to exist in a bygone era in how its protagonist, Vitthal Surve (Pratik Gandhi), displays a quaint middle-class charm.

- SHREYAS PANDE

He is the chief of Parel Fire Station, staying in chawl-like quarters with diminished colours. His wife, played by Sai Tamhankar, is a homemaker who casts off evil eyes from him after work. His adolescent kid doesn't understand his struggles and is rather more fascinated with the flamboyance of his uncle, Samit Sawant (Divyenndu), a cop who doesn't wear his morals on his sleeves. Vitthal is always irritated, venting his frustrations in the shady bar while sharing a whisky bottle with his best friend Mahadev Nigade (Jitendra Joshi).

Through all of this, Rahul is clear not to focus only on the uniform but also the scars left behind on individuals wearing it. He doesn't give them the unidimensional, self-righteous, heroic demeanour. Instead, he makes them incessantly human.