Bewafaa - good in parts

Rating:- *1/2

BEWAFAA may be revolving around a woman, her present husband and her past lover. and may
even have some superficial resemblance with Murder or Hawas, but as the drama unfolds, you realize that similarity is confined only to basic characters.

But the crucial question is, does the film fulfil the great expectations? Frankly, it doesn’t.

It could well have been a more engrossing film, but the post-interval portions and the climax detract from quality.

Anjali [Kareena Kapoor], the younger daughter of a Canadian mother [Nafisa Ali] and an Indian father [Kabir Bedi], lives in Montreal. She shares a perfect relationship with her parents, but
Keeps her affair with an aspiring singer Raja [Akshay Kumar] close to her chest.
That secret she shares only with elder sister Aarti [Sushmita Sen] when she flies to Montreal. Aarti tells Anjali and Raja not to worry and assures them that she will convince the parents of their true love.

But fate has different plans. Aarti passes away while delivering twins. And domestic circumstances compel Anjali to marry Aarti's husband Aditya [Anil Kapoor]. Anjali migrates to New Delhi. Aditya, a tycoon, hardly has time for his sister-in-law- turned wife Anjali or his two lovable daughters from Aarti. Anjali fulfils every duty that one expects from a housewife, but cannot bridge the gap between Aditya and herself. She finds herself trapped in a marriage bereft of love.

Raja walks back into her life. He is now a famous singer and is in Delhi for a show. Anjali is torn between the two men - her indifferent husband and her ex-lover. By the time Aditya wakes up to reality, Anjali has embarked upon an extra-marital affair with Raja.

Anjali finds herself at the crossroads. Whom will she choose?

Director Dharmesh Darshan takes a good start with the result that the first half is quite Interesting, but the pace begins to slacken when Kareena shifts to New Delhi with Anil Kapoor. With a twist in the tale, you expect the narrative to get more absorbing, but that doesn't happen. Just when you thought that there would be fireworks, the screenplay lets you down. Pre-climax onwards, the graph of the film starts slipping and by the time it reaches the climax, the impact is missing. A better conclusion could've elevated the film.

Nadeem-Shravan's music conveys the various moods of the characters effectively. 'Ek Dilruba Hai', 'Pyaar Ka Anjaam', 'Kehta Hai Kabutar' and 'Ek Bewafaa Hai' are tracks that the viewer carries home after the show has concluded. The filming of 'Ek Bewafaa Hai' specifically is mind-blowing.

Dialogues [Dharmesh Darshan, Raj Sinha] are poetic at times and straight out of life at places. Cinematography is of standard. The film bears a rich look throughout. Sets [Bijon Dasgupta] are opulent.

BEWAFAA is embellished with fine performances, with Kareena Kapoor topping the list. This is Kareena's film all the way and she does justice to the meaty role. What’s more, she looks stunning.

Akshay Kumar does well in a role that fits him like a glove. Anil Kapoor handles his part with effortless ease. Sushmita Sen is first-rate in a brief role. Shamita Shetty's role has negative shades but she carries it off well. Kabir Bedi is, like always, extremely efficient. Nafisa Ali is alright.

On the whole, BEWAFAA will meet with mixed reactions