Raqt - Ek Rishta

One reason I love blogging / writing is that it gives me an opportunity to research and thereby learn quite a bit.  Before I started writing about this particular movie, I decided to run a google search for the word R A Q T.  If you search for the meaning in Urdu then you get 2 possible options – pathetic and deplorable.  Both words can be used easily to describe the movie in question.

However, if it was meant to be in Hindi / Sanskrit, then the meaning would have been “Blood” that would be an apt description of a movie considering that it is based on the concept of blood relations. I am guessing that the makers wanted it to mean the latter but the nuances of language have caught them in a slightly embarrassing position.  Proves that research is invaluable.

There is not much to write about the movie other than the story but I will try my best.  Sonia (Shweta Bharadwaj) is the reason for her sister and brother-in-law’s (Suresh Menon) death.  If only she had paid more attention to the road than giggling at her BIL. The accident leaves her with her sister’s premature baby, Suhani (Sheena Shahabadi).  A very young Sonia (just about 16) takes the responsibility of her niece and her career as a movie star together.

Suhani grows up considering Sonia as her mother and is extremely possessive about her.  She doesn’t like any outside interference.  So much that when the tantrums don’t get Sonia’s boyfriend Amit to back off, she uses a hammer.  Amit is packed off six feet under and the responsible Sonia takes the blame resulting in life imprisonment.  She gets off in 7 years for good behavior and all her sensible investments pay off.

They settle down in a palatial bungalow in Dungarpur, Rajasthan.  As luck would have it, the crown prince of Dungarpur, aptly called Yuvraj (not so aptly played by Gulshan Grover) falls for her.  The Yuvraj is proficient at several things such as polo, pool, and psychology amongst other qualifications.  But he is obviously not prepared for Suhani and what he describes as her “Obsessive Compulsive Disorder”.

Directed by Adi Irani & Shiva Rindani (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FRjDUlpIuww/Tz9dvq6tnuI/AAAAAAAAegA/2URnUsgWy7U/s1600/by-qms.JPG / http://stars.topnews.in/258785-shiva-rindani-adi-irani-launches-production-house-louise-multimedia-pvt-ltd), Raqt is the kind of movie that should let the 2 of them know that they were better off playing bit parts in movies.

I almost burst out laughing to see Shakti Kapoor playing the role of the father and giving Sonia / Suhani a hug when they leave the convent.  The convent uniforms are conveniently shortened only for Suhani and knee length for everyone else.  Of course there are other opportunities to exhibit skin.  Gulshan Grover as the prince was the icing on the cake.  It ensured non-stop laughter after.

The acting itself leaves a lot to be desired.  Sheena Shahabadi does little to improve her chances of moving into mainstream Bollywood because all she does is grit her teeth and blow her eyes to gargantuan sizes – if that is acting then full marks to her.  The only decent performance came from the “young” Gulshan Grover. The rest of the cast doesn’t deserve too much of a mention.

The best part during the movie for me was when Sonia asks the prince, “Is beemari ka koi toh ilaaj hoga” and one of my fellow reviewers shouted out, “Jail”.  Probably what everyone associated with this movie should be given – a short sentence to ensure that they don’t dish out such crap again.  1 on 10 for a movie that will not have too much of competition from the other 4 Bollywood movies releasing this week.

Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpehLWLWVMU.  It should be enough to dissuade you from making the effort of watching this movie.