The story of Shikhar unfolds promisingly enough in a sound 3-Act structure.
Act I establishes the premise of two different worlds -- the first of ambitious greedy builder GG (Ajay Devgan), whose every move is that of a gambler who plays blind to win at any cost and who is determined to grab a pristine oasis of green land and hills three hours from Mumbai, on which to build and rule over a mega city at any cost. To further his aim, GG exploits the demands of political agendas, and enlists the support of a crooked politician.
The second world we're taken into is that of Guruji / Shridhan Vardhan (Pakistani star Jawed Shaikh), a wealthy industrialist who found life's true calling after a terrible mishap and has been using his wealth for the general good through his charitable ashram Rishivan, which protects the environment and nurtures orphan children and the advises for a better life. (Sounds a bit far fetched, to think that a millionaire industrialist would forsake worldy wealth and go singlemindedly after the cause of general good, but there is a plausible explanation to it .)
The two worlds are set to collide over the land that houses the Ashram. Power, money and greed versus Values, uprightness and concern. The age-old battle of good against evil. So far, not bad at all.
GG is in a desperate hurry to scale the peaks of mega success the ends justify whatever means that can be used. And Guruji like the still waters of the huge lake his environmentally conscious efforts have created runs silent, strong and deep. His only shield against GG's greed? The values that have created his Ashram and which he has instilled into each inmate. And into his young son, Jai (Shahid Kapoor). The sincere, simple minded and trusting Jaidev Vardhan, whom GG will soon zero in upon, first trying to suck him into his own way of smoking-drinking-gambling way of life, and then to use him as a pawn in his greater scheme to build his mega city. Act II.
Which Shikhar does Jai ultimately choose to scale? That of GG's unethical greed or the other made by the Values of his father? Jai's final decision, how he makes the choice, and what follows, is Act III for you.
Together, Acts I, II and III make for a strong story outline. And it moves ahead at two levels dealing with the personal ambitions and struggles of each main character and also providing telling social comment not by editorializing, but by showing bits of life as it really unfolds around us. Scenes like a young wife forced into prostitution a young lad thrashed by a cop who drags him away even as his destitute mother pleads a drunk thrashing his wife are slices of the villagers life in the city slums. The film also touches upon a key cause of most hardships faced by common people, when GG says Politicians don't cheat they just take decisions, or when crooked politician Amrit Patel says to an aide about the poor hapless 'janta' : Just keep showing them the carrot of (false) hope, and you will have no problem.
But alas, a story moves ahead primarily through the way its characters behave in and react to situations, and this, in the second half, is one important lacuna in the film. Jai, who realizes that GG's friendship and concern are a fake, and that he's actually been played for a sucker, is obviously furious. Worse, he was beaten up by GG's goons, and one would have thought that the realization would transform Jai from a caring buddy of GG's to a shoot-at-sight kind of enemy. But Jai seems unmoved when he sees GG in the ashram after that, and GG too is quite nonchalant about the fact that he is walking literally into Jai's den, the ashram, in the pre-climax scene. And although the climax is a really well choreographed and shot scene, the summary way in which the Judge announces his judgment without a trial, is implausible, and proof of a rather unholy hurry to wind things up.
These lacunae take away considerably from the film, but nevertheless, the performances are very good.
For the first time ever, Shahid Kapoor's got to bite into a gargantuan role, and he chews it and more! As the simple, trusting young son of Guruji, he becomes the victim of GG's manipulations which are designed to distance him from his father's values. And the backlash thereafter. This is Shahid's first standout performance in a commercial film and he performs a well defined and growing character extremely well.
Ditto for Amrita Rao. The only film she had a good role earlier was her Main Hoon Na, and her part in her most recent film before Shikhar -- Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi -- was completely inconsequential. But she has seized Matthan's perfectly crafted character and performed the role of Jai's childhood sweetheart who can but stand and watch helplessly as Jai is sucked into GG's shallow, corrupt world and Rao performs with an ability that announces her arrival as an actor to reckon with.
Bipasha Basu, as GG's live-in desperately-in-love girlfriend who helps him take Jai into GG's world of drinking, smoking and gambling, is competent, and shines when realisation about GG's priorities dawns.
As for Ajay Devgan, he lives with bristling panache the role of a wealth-obsessed, manipulative builder in an unholy hurry to scale the peaks of riches, who uses every contact and relationship possible to get within snatching distance of his ultimate goal. Devgan is superbly albeit repetitively cast, however -- because we've seen him in such powerful roles before.
On the other hand, Pakistani star Jawed Shaikh, cast as Guruji, is rather stiff. He has the presence to look the part of a strong persona, but it's more the definition of character and its place in the plot than his performance that takes him there. A bit stiff, really -- not quite as smooth as the rest of them. But as for Manoj Joshi -- he really excels as the greedy, crooked politician Amrit Patel.
A K Bir's cinematography is excellent, but Ajoy Verma's editing couldhave been pacier -- we see scenes drag even after their main business is over... as in the scene in which Jai accosts GG with John Abraham -- it continues even after the high point of the scene is over. Takes away from the pace.
Now for the songs. Jagjit Singh's Tu Hai Shikhar sets the tone of the entire film, and is a haunting melody that one can enjoy on its own as a standalone song too, but as for the rest of the songs they make much greater sense when you watch them as part of the narrative. Matthan has placed the songs in a way that they become part of the screenplay and take the story forward. A K Bir's outstanding cinematography helps a great deal.
With Shikhar, Matthan sets out on a good journey, with a good story idea, cast and performances. But the lacunae listed above connive to ensure that the grand total is not equal to the individual sum of its good parts. Nevertheless, watch Shikhar for the performances of Ajay Devgan, Shahid Kapoor, Amrita Rao and Bipasha Basu.
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