Vaastav: The Reality

<p>Raghunath Namdev Shivalkar alias “Raghu” and his best friend “Dedh Footiya” (literally meaning “One and a half feet tall” in Hindi) struggle to find work in . Raghu lives in a with his father Namdev who used to work at a mill, mother Shanta and a graduate but unemployed brother Vijay. Raghu has no interest in studies so he, Dedh Footiya and his friends decide to run a stall. Their hard work pays off and things go well until the brother of a local goon Fracture Bandya and his men start visiting their stall in a drunken state and abuse Dedh Footiya. One day, Fracture Bandya’s brother beats up Dedh Footiya badly. Unable to keep their emotions and anger in the face of abuse continuously for days, Raghu and Dedh Footiya accidentally kill Fracture Bandya’s brother. Now on the run, with the help of their friend Sub-Inspector Kishore Kadam, the two of them are given protection by Vitthal Kaanya, a rival gang lord. The two eventually kill Fracture Bandya as well, when the latter tries to find them and kill them both treacherously by arranging a meeting through Suleiman Bhai, a in the Mumbai underworld. Raghu and Dedh Footiya eventually end up in the Mumbai underworld. Raghu becomes a respected hitman under Vitthal Kaanya, with Dedh Footiya as his accomplice. With Raghu in his gang, Vitthal Kaanya hits a peak in the Mumbai underworld. Later, Raghu is approached by Babban Rao Kadam who asks Raghu to work for him and uses Raghu for his criminal activities. Raghu agrees, much against the wishes of Kishore, who continues to help him by advising him and providing inside information. Vitthal Kaanya is eventually killed by the Fracture gang. During Dedh Footiya’s father’s funeral, an attempt is made on Raghu by the Fracture gang, but his father is injured in the process. In retaliation, Raghu and Dedh Footiya learn from Inspector Rane who works for the Fracture gang that the whole gang will be going to Shirdi the next day. Raghu kills the inspector. They intercept the Fracture gang on the bridge and eliminate the gang, making Raghu the most dreaded gangster in the city. While Babban Rao relies on Raghu and Dedh Footiya, there are some others who despise Raghu and are on the sidelines waiting for him to make a mistake. Kishore tells Raghu and Dedh Footiya not to continue working for Babban Rao as he is just using them to fulfill his own goals and would dispose them off when they’re not needed but the duo don’t pay any heed. Under the minister’s order, Dedh Footiya kills an innocent man which sparks riots and causes loss of many lives. The duo then threaten a poor man in order to take his land. However, when the Parsi starts yapping about reporting the crime, Raghu, in a fit of rage, kills him. Babban Rao is soon under serious pressure from the public and government as he’s alleged to have ties to Raghu. He issues a shoot-to-kill warrant for Raghu and Dedh Footiya. The latter is killed in an in order to lure Raghu out from hiding. Kishore informs Raghu that the police have been ordered to kill him in an encounter. Raghu is now on the run, both from the police and Babban Rao’s men. Raghu knows now that he must protect his wife Sonia, parents, and family, as they too are in danger. He realises that there is no escape from this harsh reality. He arranges to meet Babban Rao with the help of Suleiman Bhai and kills Babban Rao as he would ruin others’ lives like him in the future. Suleiman Bhai is also killed in an attempt to save Raghu. Unable to save himself from the police, Raghu returns to his home and tells his mother to save him. He apparently has , become crazy and starts . His mother takes him away to safety. He gives her his gun and his gold chains to sell them off; she remembers how Raghu had once taught her how to use a gun, points it at him, pulls the trigger and . The family later fulfills Raghu’s annual rites on the Mumbai beach. His mother tells her young grandson about Raghu and prays that his sins might be pardoned. All lyrics are written by except where noted. Reviewing the film for , Suparn Verma compared its theme to Hollywood films (1983), (1972), and Indian films such as (1998), (1987) and (1990). He felt the film offered “no new insight into the underworld” and added that it was “fast-paced and taut at times”. However, he felt the film was “well shot and edited” and criticized the “lengthy dialogues”. He concluded commending the acting performance of and called it “one of the best performances of his career”. He added, “From an easy-going guy to a broken man — the role is essayed with great care by him, maintaining a consistency throughout.” Mukhtar Anjoom of felt Dutt, who looked “terrific”, couldn’t “hold the excitement for long” due to the “shaky screenplay”.</p>