FILM
REVIEW: CHAAHAT - EK NASHA (2004)
Director:
Jai Prakash
Producer: Umesh Chouhan
Cast: Manisha Koirala, Preeti Jhangiani, Aryan Vaid and Sharad Kapoor
Rating:
1/10
BACKGROUND:
What is Manisha Koirala up to these days? The beautiful actress who
has been a pleasure to watch a few years ago (in films like Bombay,
1942 - A Love Story and Khamoshi - The Musical) is now being seen in
B graders like Market and now in Chaahat Ek Nasha.
SYNOPSIS:
Mallika Arora (not to be confused with Malaika Arora) played by
Manisha Koirala is the reigning pop star. She does not believe in the
institution of marriage. Hence when music magnate Rahul Kapoor (Aryan
Vaid), wants to marry her, she refuses. Mallika does love him and shares
a physical relationship with him as well, but does not want to take
the few steps from the bed to the altar.
Meanwhile
Rashmi Jaitley (Preeti Jhangiani) is a rising pop singer and is enamoured
by Mallika Arora. She wants to emulate her. The person she knows who
can take her there is Rahul. Rahul takes a liking for her and promotes
her well. She does Rahul's new video and becomes a part of his life.
Rahul and
Rashmi soon decide to get married. Mallika suddenly realises that she
is losing her man and wants him back. Now she is also ready for marriage.
But Rahul and Rashmi have already decided to get married.
Now Mallika
has a bodyguard Jaidev (Sharad Kapoor) who is also in love with her
and hates the sight of Rahul. So when Mallika tells him to kill Rahul
when the last named refuses to marry her, he sets off. Suddenly Mallika
realises that she doesn't want Rahul bumped off. Ho-Hum!
CRITIQUE:
Chaahat has been promoted as a film where Manisha plays Madonna, Preeti
plays Britney Spears and Aryan Vaid plays slain music magnate Gulshan
Kumar. But the film is nowhere close to the false hype, produced to
sell the film. Moreover the sex scenes in the film have been used to
create some hype. The film, if dealt with well could have fallen in
the same genre as an Abhimaan (Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan). But it doesn't.
Instead sex dominates.
I saw the
film at a theatre where not many people were present. And those who
were... clearly were present to watch the skin show by Preeti Jhangiani,
who left no cloth unturned. The girl who acted in petite roles earlier,
doing sweet scenes in films like Mohabbatein, has taken off her clothes
in an attempt to get the audience to the theatres. But who wants to
see a Preeti Jhangiani without clothes? Huh? The girl lacks sex appeal
and despite trying hard looks a loser. Maybe she should watch Sheesha,
the other release of the week to learn from Neha Dhupia, how to carry
oneself off when dressed in skimpy outfits. Manisha Koirala should have
never done this film. She acts as if she is an alcoholic and the disinterest
shows in her performance. We wonder what has happened to this beautiful
girl from Nepal who acted like a dream once upon a time? In fact, Manisha
who is known to be an avid drinker should have done the film under actual
influence, and maybe she could have pulled off a better performance.
Aryan Vaid disappoints and Sharad Kapoor moves around as if he has wounded
armpits. The director Jai Prakash is not just a bad story teller, but
also a bad technician.
CONCLUSION:
Chaahat - Ek Nasha is better left unwatched. There is nothing in the
movie to attract the audience.
Reviewed
by: Tony
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