Producer: Suresh Prod 
Director: Yogesh Ishwar 
Cast: Sunil Shetty, Sushmita Sen, Namrata Shirodkar, Johny Lever, Govind Namdeo, Asrani, Suresh Oberoi
Music: Anu Malik

Once again, Dr. Rama Naidu has done it! He has succeeded in gifting the industry with an imaginative and industrious director - Yogesh Ishwar. This erstwhile assistant of Vidhu Vinod Chopra shows ample promise and abundant talent while handling an oft repeated story of good versus evil. The remake of a Telug hit 'Sivaiyya' the focus is entirely on Sunil Shetty and this action hero impresses in the emotional scenes as well and virtually carries the film on his broad shoulders!

Govind (Sunil Shetty) comes to Mumbai from a village in Punjab with his sister Ratna (Shraddha Nigam). His first experiences in this teeming metropolis are far from pleasant. In fact, right at the outset he saves a girl from being raped by Danny (Mukesh Tiwari) who happens to be the brother of an underworld don Johnny (Sharat Saxena). However, Danny extracts his pound of flesh by seeing to it that Ratna is brutally raped by his henchmen. This heinous act catalyses Govind into taking law in his own hands and a mayhem of blood, gore and guts ensues.

Deftly interwoven by Ishwar are parallel tracks involving Govind's wife (Suman Ranganathan) who is ironically murdered by her own brother (Sharad Kapoor). Sushmita Sen adds a dash of spice as a glamorous cop, but neither writer Kamlesh Panday nor director Yogesh Ishwar is able to develop Namrata Shirodkar's character. Indeed, one gets the impression that Namrata escaped their attention altogether during the scripting and shooting! Anupam Kher is good as always but Johny Lever's mimicry of Rajnikant really sets the hall ablaze. Govind Namdeo, Asrani, Alok Nath, Asha Sachdev, Padmini Kapila, Sharat Saxena, Shraddha Nigam provide valiant support. Suman Ranganathan and Sharad Kapoor ( putting in special appearances) make their presence felt.

Anu Malik's musical score is average with only 'Mann tera Mann' striking a vibrant chord. Production values are excellent but isn't that what is D.Rama Naidu's hallmark? The choreography by Chinni Prakash and Ganesh more than makes up for a lacklustre musical score. Action scenes are outstanding.

All in all, despite its predictability, 'Aaghaaz' is well worth watching for the emergence of a new talent director Yogesh Iswhar - and the growth of an established one- actor Sunil Shetty.