Vaastav: The Reality Dvd

Vaastav: The Reality is a 1999 Indian Hindi-language action crime film written and directed by Mahesh Manjrekar and starring Sanjay Dutt and Namrata Shirodkar. It also features Sanjay Narvekar, Mohnish Behl, Paresh Rawal, Reema Lagoo and Shivaji Satam in supporting roles.

Plot

Vaastav opens with a family performing the funeral rites of a person on a beach. When the young son of the deceased asks his grandmother all about the deceased, she begins to narrate the story.

As the film opens, Raghunath Namdev Shivalkar or “Raghu” (Sanjay Dutt) and his best friend Dedh Footiya (Sanjay Narvekar) (literally meaning “One and a half feet tall” in Hindi) struggle to find work in Mumbai. Raghu lives in a Mumbai Chawl with his retired father (Shivaji Satham), mother (Reema Lagoo) and a graduate but unemployed brother (Mohnish Behl). They decide to run a pav bhaji stall. They work diligently and are earning good profits. The business seems to be working out very well, before the brother of a local goon (Fracture Bandya) (Jack Gaud) and his men start visiting their stall. Continuously for somedays Fracture Bandya’s men visit the stall in a drunken state and abuse Dedh Footiya. Raghu tells dedh footiya to not get involved in any argument with them. But one day fracture bandya’s men beat 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, not knowing who he is. Now on the run, the two of them soon kill Fracture Bandya and his men also, when the latter tries to find them and kill them both treacherously by arranging a meeting through Suleiman Bhai (Paresh Rawal), a middle man in the Mumbai underworld. Raghu and Dedh Footiya now end up in the Mumbai underworld.

Vitthal Kaanya (Ashish Vidyarthi), a rival gang lord, offers Raghunath (Raghu) and Dedh Footiya protection and later hires them both as hitmen. Raghunath becomes a respected hit man, with Dedh Footiya as his accomplice. With Raghunath in his gang, Vitthal Kaanya hits a peak in the Mumbai underworld. Later Raghunath is approached by the home minister Babban Rao (Mohan Joshi) and who asks Raghunath to work for him and uses Raghunath for his needs. Raghu agrees, much against the wishes of Assistant Inspector Kishore Kadam (Deepak Tijori), a good friend of Raghu, who continues to help him by advising him and providing inside information. Vitthal Kaanya is soon killed by rival gangsters.

While Babban Rao relies on Raghunath, there are some others who despise Raghunath and are waiting in the sidelines to see when he makes an error. Raghunath does so, and Babban Rao is soon under serious pressure from the public and government. He issues a shoot-to-kill warrant for Raghunath. Dedh Footiya is killed in an encounter. Then Raghu comes to know from Kishore 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. Raghunath knows now that he must protect his wife, parents, and family, as they too are in danger. He realizes that there is no escape from this harsh reality. He arranges to meet Babban Rao with the help of Suleman Bhai (Paresh Rawal) and kills Babban Rao as he would spoil others’ lives like his in the future. In the process, Suleiman Bhai is also killed.

Unable to save himself from the police, Raghu comes back to his home and tells his mother to save him. He apparently has lost his mental balance, become crazy and starts hallucinating. His mother takes him away to safety. He tells her to take his gun and kill him, so she remembers how Raghu had once taught her how to use a gun, pulls the trigger and kills him.

As the film ends, the family is seen fulfilling the annual rites of Raghu on the Mumbai beach, as the film had begun, with Raghu’s mother explaining all that happened to her young grandson.

Cast

Sanjay Dutt as Raghunath “Raghu” Namdev Shivalkhar
Namrata Shirodkar as Sonia “Sonu” Shivalkhar, Raghu’s Wife
Deepak Tijori as sub-inspector Kishore Kadam (Kisha)
Sanjay Narvekar as Dedh Footiya
Mohnish Bahl as Vijaykanth Namdev Shivalkhar, Raghu’s brother
Shivaji Satam as Namdev Shivalkahr, Raghu’s father
Reema Lagoo as Shanta Shivalkar, Raghu’s mother
Paresh Rawal as Sulemaan Bhai (Mandavali Badshah)
Mohan Joshi as Home Minister Babban Rao Kadam
Ashish Vidyarthi as Vitthal Kaanya
Himani Shivpuri as Laxmi Akka, Bordello Madam
Mahesh Manjrekar as himself in a song
Ekta Sohini as Puja Shivalkhar, Vijay’s Wife
Jack Gaud as Fracture Bandya
Ganesh Yadav as Chhota Fracture
Kishore Nandlaskar – Dedh Footiya’s father (drunkard)
Bharat Jadhav
Makarand Anaspure
Anand Abhyankar
Achyut Potdar
Hiten Tejwani
Usha Nadkarni as Dedh footiya’s Mother
Satish Rajwade
Kashmira Shah as an item number ‘Jawani Se’