The Gangster-Drama: Aazam (2023): Rise Of A New Don – A Battle For Succession

The underworld has its succession battle. It’s all about money, power, and takeovers. As Mumbai’s mafia don Nawab Khan (Raza Murad) falls victim to cancer, his son Kadar plans to take over his reign of terror. Kadar devises a plan with his trusted Javed so as to eradicate his competition in this succession battle as rival gangs were also planning to take over the throne of Nawab Khan. Will Kadar succeed in this battle to take over the reign of his dying father or has he made the biggest mistake of his life by trusting Javed?

Aazam (2023): Rise Of A New Don: Starring Jimmy Shergill As Javed!

Starring Jimmy Shergill as Javed, Abhimanyu Singh as Kadar, and Indraneil Sengupta as Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Ajay Joshi, Shravan Tiwari’s “Aazam: Rise Of A New Don” released in theaters on May 26, 2023.

Aazam (2023): Rise Of A New Don Official Trailer:

The Good:

Incredible Performances With Stunning Visuals

Aazam has a great cast who gave phenomenal performances. After experiencing the performances of Jimmy Shergill and Abhimanyu Singh, you would feel that you are watching some terrifying underworld dons. Jimmy Shregill has proved himself to be one of the finest actors in Bollywood with his role as the lead character Javed in this movie. His expressions and dialogue delivery are simply outstanding. Indraneil Sengupta as a senior police officer looked convincing. The acting of the lead cast in Aazam is strikingly realistic, and they bring justice to their roles.

Aazam has been shot in Mumbai. The visuals are stunning and have a retro cinematic essence that will bring back memories of 1990s Indian cinema. Shravan Tiwari’s direction is praiseworthy, and his editing is sharp and crisp. For true crime-thriller lovers, Aazam’s conspirational plot filled with betrayal, deceit, and unexpected twists can be really engrossing.

In Aazam, there are certain scenes that are filled will suspense, and also there are scenes that can shock you. In a scene, Jimmy Shergill can be shown unfolding some spine-tingling thrill that forms the core twist in this movie. You have to watch it to believe it! Also, some other scenes show incidents that are truly prevalent in India, which can be shocking to watch. For instance, another scene depicts a live murder on the streets of Mumbai by a gangster, and the police have been shown standing at a distance and witnessing the murder.

The Bad:

May Not Appeal To Certain Audiences

I must tell you that if you are not a true fan of Bollywood movies, Aazam may make you bang your head on the front seat of the theater hall. The movie starts with murders and ends with murders. This movie is loaded with violence with gang wars erupting every now and then. Showing violence in movies may entice action lovers but having too much violence can make a movie frustrating to watch for some.

In short, this movie is not meant for children, and also women and aged people may not find it appealing. Even if the plot is thrilling and gripping, the excessive violence-loaded murderous screenplay may fail to entice certain sections of the audience.

Lacks Promotion

Imagine a movie that has been released in theaters and you have no idea about it! That’s because it lacks TRP as no promotion was made before its release. Aazam suffers the same fate. I regularly keep track of Bollywood movie releases but this movie made my tracking abilities fail! It was released on May 26, 2023, with very few theaters showing it. If you are lucky enough, your local theater might be running this movie, and you may become one of its rare viewers.

My question to the filmmakers is, when you are releasing a crime-thriller which has big stars in it like Raza Murad, Jimmy Shergill, and Abhimanyu Singh, what made you not promote this film? You might have already assumed that this film will do no good, I guess? And also, I don’t understand why this movie got delayed so much. We have been waiting for long for its release, and it suddenly released in a few theaters without even giving us a hint.

I am not a filmmaker myself. But this is my suggestion that you could have considered releasing this movie on OTT platforms instead of in theaters. When you are so reluctant in promoting a film before its release, why release it in theaters and incur losses in the first place?

The Verdict:

I have some advice for the filmmakers of Aazam. When you make a crime-thriller that portrays the underworld, you need to also show how the underworld works, their businesses, etc. Just showing some horrific gang wars between underworld troops won’t appeal to the audience. Too much unnecessary violence can affect the comprehensiveness of a screenplay, which could have been made much more understandable. I have to tell you, if international audiences watch this movie, they may either find it unappealing or they may not be able to understand anything at all, except 2 hours and 30 minutes of random ferocious gang wars.

An amazing fact about Aazam is that this is a story of one night only. Within one night; planning, plotting, action, betrayal, and murders, everything happens, and the fate of Mumbai’s underworld is decided as to who will succeed to the throne of the dying Nawab Khan! Aazam happens to be a completely male-led movie and you will barely find any female cast in it.

“Aazam” is an Urdu word meaning “Great”. After all, Aazam depicts the battle for supremacy in Mumbai’s underworld. Hence, the movie’s name stands apt. Whether you love it or hate it, it doesn’t matter! A fact is that Aazam is packed with raw hardcore action and is a feast for action-thriller lovers. If you love blasting action along with an incredible storyline filled with suspense and thrill, then this movie is for you!