RAQEEB …RIVALS IN LOVE - QUADTANGLED
- by Vishal Verma

Rating:- * *

What is it?
Chignon Biryani …… anyone ?
After going round and round with love triangles, Raj Kanwar, now goes one-step further, he merry go rounds a quadrangle this time. After producing pot- boiler love triangles like Humko Deewana Kar Gaye, & Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke, producer Raj Kanwar’s latest endevour RAQEEB, turns out to be a quadrangle with an added spice of suspense and thrill.

In an attempt to cook a wholesome meal, Raj Kanwar as a writer, tries to add all the masala available for a Bollywood pot-boiler. But sadly, though the dish is hot & a bit spicy, it fails to fulfill the entire appetite. Raj Kanwar’s dum biryani is of course a biryani but alas, the dum is missing.

Anyway, now let’s get to the basics straight away.

Debutant director Anurag Singh’s narration has some style. He tries to tell the story with some novelty initially, but as the film progresses; it becomes more and more predictable. The film drags during the first half, but in the second half, the director really puts its foot on the accelerator only to give it a break at an interesting point.

Whats it all about?
Remo Mathews, (Rahul Khanna ) is a low in life computer whiz kid & an asthmatic patient whose parents had died in a car crash when he was just a child. He owes a software company where his buddy and employee Siddharth (Sharman Joshi) plays a prank and sets Remo up for a blind date. Remo meets the girl, Sofie (Tanushree Dutta), a theatre actress who is high on life. They both get married after wasting some time & when you are about to yawn, enters a modern day K.L. Saigal …. Er no…. Sunny Saigal …Ah Sunny (Jimmy Shergill donning the Kundan Lal Saigal look ) Kundan Lal Saigal ……..? Don’t remember, forget it ?

Sunny is a struggling actor who was in love with Sofie .But Sofie, as always is the case wanted a luxurious life that our struggler was unable to provide. So, she married Remo. When Sofie and Sunny meet again, the blown off passion is ignited once again. Compiginious looks after the kitchen fire while his beloved wife secretly meets her ex- lover.

Finally, tired of having to meet secretly and only occasionally, they plan to kill Remo. The D-day arrives and Sunny comes to Remo’s house to execute the plan. However, there is another twist in the tale. Sofie double-crosses Sunny. He is arrested and accused of Remo’s murder. Hold on, the plot gets thicker from now on but due to some professional reasons, cannot be written further.

Who, why, how done it? Is all told in the climax.

What to look out for?
Promising debut by Anurag Singh as a director, his approach has some style. Sharp & beautiful cinematography by Fuwad Khan. Twist in the end of the story by Raj Kanwar makes it a bit different from the run of the mill thrillers revolving around a pati, his patni, her lover and a murder. Production values are rich. Editing by Kuldip Mehan is crisp.

Talk about performances, well good to see Rahul Khanna after a gap and he delivers a fine performance. Tanushree Dutta improves as an actor, she is lucky to get such type of a role where there are plenty of opportunities to show your acting talent. She is good in bits and pieces. It was an inspiring performance after the forgettable Good Boy Bad Boy. Jimmy Shergill is fair. On the other hand, the real surprise is Sharman Joshi., he gets a meaty role and he delivers a striking performance.

What Not?
Such type of stories requires a thoroughly tight and engrossing screenplay. However, the viewer has to wait for 6 to 7 reels to be on the edge of their seat. Vivek Shauq tries to evoke some laughter but fails miserably.  Anurag could have penned down some better lines, why deliver this livers and gurdas it sucks in an attempt to sync.

Music is a let down and a hurdle while watching the film. After listening to Metro, Pritam’s music sounds average, only one song stands out “Jaane Kaise” which has nice poetry by Sameer and it’s been well sung by K.K.

Finally, Raj Kanwar’s Raqeeb will find it’s Habib’s in certain territories especially in North, & Delhi.              

Go for it if you do not mind basi roti with hot mutton korma.