Bas Ek Tamanna, Hindi Bollywood Film Review, Johnson Thomas

Hindi Film reviewJohnson ThomasWouldn’t wish this on anyoneFilm: Bas Ek TamannaCast: Reema Lagoo, Gauri Karnik, Rituparna Sen Gupta, Samir AftabDirector: Rahul KapoorRating: *Helmer Rahul kapoor’s foray into the muslim social comes a cropper. The story is hackneyed, the plotting is uninteresting and the performances juast as lackadaisal.The story epitomisdes the increasing aspirations of a ghettoised muslim community. An Indian Muslim boy, a graduate, working as a tourist guide, Faraaz (Samir Aftab), his mother, a devout and pious Najma (Reema Lagoo) and his wheelchair- bound father, Nadeem (S.M. Zaheer), belonging to a lower middle-class family in Lucknow sees a sea-change in their existence because of Faraaz’s chance encounter with a rich Dubai based woman Sameera(Rituparna Sen Gupta). Faraaz has a girlfriend Sanah(Gauri Karnik) but thinks nothing of leaving his loved ones behind in searching of better prospects –when Sameera offers him a job as a kind of male nanny cum father figure to her son afflicted with bi-polar disorder.Faraz eventually breaks off all connections with his past once he gets addicted to the good life in Dubai.e film tries toexplore the conflicts that sudden wealth/success bring into the life of someone who was hitherto struggling to make ends meet. How is value system crumbles and it’s only when he experience a cross-road in his life’s journey does he realises the value of that which he once held dear.The story has a strong theme and moral but it’s nt presented in a viable form. Ali Hashmat Siddiqui's script is just a tad too old-fashioned to evoke a connect with today's audiences. The characters are as usual clichéd and the performances look jaded and uninspiring. As an Eid release, the filmmaker must have expected to cash in on the celebratory crowd but the entire treatment of the story and the unimpressive narrative does not make for a celebratory mood.So there are really not going to be many takers for this one.Johnsont307@gmail.comj