The movie Ek Ajnabee
Created | Updated Aug 13, 2007
This Indian movie has the same plot as the Hollywood movie �Man on Fire�, with only a few changes and a different ending.
While �Man on Fire� was about Americans living in Mexico, �Ek Ajnabee� is about Indians living in Bangkok, Thailand. In this view of the world, Thailand has the same serious problem of wealthy foreigners being kidnapped for ransom that Mexico does.
The main character, Suryaveer Singh (�Surya�), obtains a job as a bodyguard through an old army friend of his. He�s asked to look after the young daughter of an expatriate Indian family. He initially tries to stay detached, but quickly becomes friends with the girl. When she�s kidnapped, he�s devastated, but then goes out seeking revenge, killing anyone he can find who�s connected with the incident.
As in �Man on Fire�, the main character is an alcoholic. While in �Man on Fire� there wasn�t any obvious reason for it, in �Ek Ajnabee� Surya is traumatised by his experiences in war where he accidentally killed two innocent children during an ambush. It makes his actions more believable.
While the storyline is basically the same as in the original movie, some scenes are more rushed and a scene or two is left out. There are some humorous parts and, because it�s an Indian film, it has the obligatory synchronised dance routine (set in a nightclub, so it�s not completely out of place). It also has an intermission half way though. Indian music plays in the background throughout the movie, contrasting with shots of bustling, overbuilt Bangkok.
The dialogue is mostly in Hindi, with English subtitles. However, some parts of the dialogue are in English. The characters switch from one language to another seemingly at random. Oddly, even the English dialogue is subtitled (and not always accurately!) The subtitles are poorly done, being out of synch with the dialogue in the first half of the movie, and sometimes being displayed in white on a white background. It lets the film down somewhat.
While �Man on Fire� was about Americans living in Mexico, �Ek Ajnabee� is about Indians living in Bangkok, Thailand. In this view of the world, Thailand has the same serious problem of wealthy foreigners being kidnapped for ransom that Mexico does.
The main character, Suryaveer Singh (�Surya�), obtains a job as a bodyguard through an old army friend of his. He�s asked to look after the young daughter of an expatriate Indian family. He initially tries to stay detached, but quickly becomes friends with the girl. When she�s kidnapped, he�s devastated, but then goes out seeking revenge, killing anyone he can find who�s connected with the incident.
As in �Man on Fire�, the main character is an alcoholic. While in �Man on Fire� there wasn�t any obvious reason for it, in �Ek Ajnabee� Surya is traumatised by his experiences in war where he accidentally killed two innocent children during an ambush. It makes his actions more believable.
While the storyline is basically the same as in the original movie, some scenes are more rushed and a scene or two is left out. There are some humorous parts and, because it�s an Indian film, it has the obligatory synchronised dance routine (set in a nightclub, so it�s not completely out of place). It also has an intermission half way though. Indian music plays in the background throughout the movie, contrasting with shots of bustling, overbuilt Bangkok.
The dialogue is mostly in Hindi, with English subtitles. However, some parts of the dialogue are in English. The characters switch from one language to another seemingly at random. Oddly, even the English dialogue is subtitled (and not always accurately!) The subtitles are poorly done, being out of synch with the dialogue in the first half of the movie, and sometimes being displayed in white on a white background. It lets the film down somewhat.
