Karz - The Burden of Truth - (2002)
Cast: Sunny Deol, Sunil Shetty, Shilpa Shetty
Director: Harry Baweja
Synopsis: dire hogwash of the worst kind - no redeeming features at all
Music: Sanjeev Darshan
Reviewed by: Faiz Khan

With a ridiculous title like that, you really shouldn't be expecting very much from this pretty dire flick, a film which has absolutely no idea what it wants to be. Is it a love story, an action film, a lost-and-found saga or simply another run-of-the-mill revenge drama? It tries to be all of them and succeeds at none. All you really need is an IQ of five and a great deal of patience to sit this one out.

Suraj (Sunny Deol) begins proceedings by bashing his way through a gang of local goondas armed with nothing more than his trusty leather belt, apparently capable of defeating swords, hockey sticks and anything else foolish enough to be waved in his direction. Having dispatched the villains, he strolls home to find a beautiful young woman with flowing tresses happily playing the piano. So much for anyone claiming that love at first sight no longer exists.

The lady in question is Sapna (Shilpa Shetty), an old family friend who has come to stay with Suraj's family. During dinner we discover that poor old Suraj is adopted. As a child he was rejected by his mother, and no one knows why. Let there be no doubt—this is to be the Great Burden of Truth around which the entire film revolves.

Lost in drink and haunted by memories, Suraj dreams endlessly of Sapna, but naturally we are subjected to yet another one of those "I love her but cannot tell her" scenarios. Predictability then gets another nod with the arrival of Raja (Sunil Shetty), a cheerful millionaire who insists on calling Suraj "Bade Bhaiyya". It therefore comes as no surprise whatsoever when we discover that not only is Raja hopelessly in love with Sapna, but he also happens to be Suraj's younger brother.

So what exactly is the mystery? Why was Suraj rejected as a child?

The answer, when it arrives, is every bit as melodramatic as one would expect. His mother (Kirron Kher) had been raped by the vile Yograj (Ashutosh Rana), and Suraj was the product of that assault. Unable to bear the constant reminder of her ordeal every time she looked at him, she gave him away to be adopted.

With that revelation out of the way, the film finally settles into its inevitable revenge mode, with Suraj and Raja joining forces to avenge both their mother's suffering and Suraj's stolen childhood.

It all sounds considerably more interesting than it actually is, and one cannot help being thankful for modern technology and, more specifically, the fast-forward button on one's DVD player.

Harry Baweja makes a complete hotchpotch of what is already an utterly preposterous plot. Sunny Deol is wasted in yet another weak vehicle. Although the film is built entirely around him and he dominates the screen throughout, there is absolutely nothing fresh or dynamic here—just the same old Sunny Deol formula that had already begun wearing thin. Yawn.

Shilpa Shetty remains almost entirely devoid of charm. I keep hoping to warm to her performances, but each new film makes the task more difficult. Sunil Shetty, meanwhile, is relegated to little more than a supporting presence, which makes one wonder why there was so much fuss about his supposedly getting a raw deal in Awara Paagal Deewana, where he actually had a far meatier role than he does here.

The music is thoroughly forgettable and contributes nothing to proceedings.

There is very little here worthy of redemption. A must in the avoid stakes.