Raqeeb

Cast: Rahul Khanna, Jimmy Shergill, Sharman Joshi, Tanushree Datta, Vishwajeet Pradhan, Vivek Shauq, Rekha Rao, Neena Kulkarni, Sherlyn Chopra, Kishori Shahane
Language: Hindi
Director: Anurag Singh
Producer: Raj Kanwar
Camera: Fuwad Khan
Lyrics: Sameer
Music: Pritam Chakraborty
Year: 2007

From director Anurag Basu's "Metro" last week to Anurag Singh's "Raqeeb" this week - what a gigantic leap in terms of vision, intent and impact!

Outwardly both "Metro" and "Raqeeb" are contemporary in content. They make more than whispering mentions of sex, sexuality, cyber-sleaze and other supposedly scandalous and hitherto-taboo subjects.

In one of the initial sequences, the benign Rahul Khanna shouts, "I'm not gay!" to Tanushree Dutta across an eatery and then proceeds to smooch her to prove so.Well Mr Director, tongues do lie, you know!

"Raqeeb" is so busy trying to shock us with its high-voltage wantonness, it forgets to pause for refuelling its creative motors.

The narrative moves at a breakneck speed creating a highly charged sexually-defiant version of Abbas-Mustan's "Humraaz" about the benevolent husband, the adulterous wife and her amoral lover. Jimmy Shergil sports theatrical rhetorics, and flowing henna-coloured hair that really doesn't suit him.

There are three heroes, one heroine, two item songs, three romantic songs, three attempted murders and a couple of funerals. There's also a rather vulgar item song by starlet Sherlyn Chopra.

Even the film's only main female lead, Tanushree, dresses and acts like an item-girl. And to impress the naïve millionaire Rahul Khanna, she also claims to enjoy Shakespeare.

Sure, we believe you. As much as we believe in the fast-paced film's perverse quadrangle, featuring three besotted men and one girl. Tanushree does have potential... if only she would stop doing such inconsistent roles.

Director Anurag Singh cuts his material with the relish of a chef carving turkey for a thanks-giving dinner.

Alas, there isn't much to be thankful for in "Raqeeb". Unless you're looking at the scenic locations where the songs are shot - the pristine-blue waters and pure-white sands.

Pritam's soundtrack goes by the crass requirements of the narrative.

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