Chetna – hot in parts, yet mediocre

Rating:- *

The motive behind CHETNA - THE EXCITEMENT is pretty evident as the story unfolds: Titillation. And there are sequences that the viewer may find 'hot'. But when viewed in totality, the outcome is plain mediocre.

Chetna [Payal Rohatgi] is a shrewd businesswoman in Dubai. She is of the firm belief that with a beautiful body, scheming mind and pots of money, a woman can get away with anything. The only mistake such a woman shouldn't commit is to fall in love.

Sameer [Jatin Grewal] arrives in Dubai with his wife Aastha [Navneet Kaur] and gets a job in Chetna's company. On the first day itself, Sameer confronts Chetna with the issues plaguing the company. Chetna takes a liking for him and gets him promoted.

Later, Chetna tries to seduce Sameer, but he doesn't succumb to the temptation. In fact, he decides to quit the job, but due to an undertaking he had given at the time of joining Chetna's company, he is unable to do so. He is left with no alternative but to comply with Chetna's physical demands.

Chetna commits the mistake of falling in love with Sameer. Meanwhile, Sameer's wife gets to know of the extra-marital affair and decides to walk out on her husband and joins Chetna's rival [Kiran Kumar]. In the end, Aastha succeeds in ruining Chetna. It's also revealed that Sameer had been with Aastha all along and had together devised plans to ruin her.

While the first half has a few interesting moments, the post-interval portions turn routine, partly because the writer hasn't been able to create the excitement that one looks forward to in a thriller. Even the finale, which could've been the turning point of the film, is tame and tepid.

Director Parto Ghosh makes a sincere attempt to strike the right balance between drama and titillation, but is letdown by a not-too-inspiring script. Music [Daboo Malik] is nothing much to hum about. Cinematography is appealing, with the visuals of Dubai giving the film a rich look.

Payal Rohatgi dares and bares without any inhibition, but needs to improve her acting, particularly expressions. Navneet Kaur is alright. Jatin Grewal needs to loosen up more as an actor. Kiran Kumar is wasted. Mushtaq Khan is passable.

On the whole, CHETNA - THE EXCITEMENT is an ordinary fare. At the box-office, it might appeal to the frontbenchers at smaller centers.