Khusboo

*ing: Rishi Rehan, Avantika, Ninad Kamat, Himani Shivpuri, Prem Chopra, Raj Babbar, Chunky Pandey, Shakti Kapoor (Guest appearance)
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
Music: Adnan Sami, Bappi Lahiri
Producer: Pahlaj Nihalani
Director: Rajesh Ram Singh
Ratings – *

2008 seems to be a year for fresh faces in Bollywood. Even the well-known producer Pahlaj Nihalani tried introducing two new faces through his latest flick Khusboo but the garbage, the film showcases, fails in hinting at the fragrance it has been intended to spread.

Raghunathan Iyer (Rishi Rehan) is a project manager at a multinational company. Being very with his job profile, his boss (Raj Babbar) wants to send him to New York but due to some emergency at a project in Chandigarh he has forget about New York and move for Chandigarh. Raghu meets Pinky (Avantika) in Chandigarh and despite having no faith in love he falls for Pinky (just like all the logically foolish love stories).

The representative of modernism in Chandigarh, Pinky slips straight to Raghu’s bed at their third meeting and after two months she returns only to say that she is pregnant with Raghu’s child.

She asks Raghu to meet her parents once so that she can later on easily tell them the reality about the child. Raghu marries Pinky immediately after meeting her parents. But they keep their marriage a secret.

When Pinky’s parents come to know about their marriage, they, like typical Punjabi, come to Raghu’s office to kill him. Being the only daughter in the family, Pinky easily wins the heart of her five brothers. But her father, subadar Arminder Singh (Prem Chopra) forsakes the relationship with her.

Afterwards, the story witnesses a lot of turns and twists and reaches the happy ending (as it’s very usual).

If films are always prone to have one or the other fault, Khusboo is the uncrowned king among flawed entertainers. It’s really sad that despite having keen eyes to find a better moment, the film doesn’t offer anything praiseworthy. Including direction and first appearance of Rishi and Avantika, all are very weak.

It’s quite unfortunate that all the talents, including the lyrics by Javed Akhtar, music by Adnan Sami and Bappi Lahiri and well known voices of established singers, are simply wasted just for the sake of the film. The film seems more an unsolved puzzle than an entertainer.

The reason behind the modern Pinky, willingly sleeping with an almost unknown guy and clad in modern outfits, declining to deport for New York just for the sake of her desh, is really beyond any psychological understanding.

It looks really bakwas to see Pinky thinking about giving birth to her child in this nation only and more than that, her intention of tagging her child as Shikh appears more intended and unfortunate fallacy. If she can ignore cast at the time of marrying Raghu, how come she insists on the same issue during the birth of her child!

The film is completely an unsolved mystery with so many questions like this. It creates question on the director Rajesh Ram and more than that Khusboo is a big question mark on the career of Pahlaj Nihalani.

Enriched with Punjabi culture, the film looks more a Punjabi flick than Hindi one. Being so inclined to Punjabi traditions, the film should not be able to pull the Hindi audience.

Albeit, watching the film is completely dependant on the audience, managing the fragrance in Khusboo will surely be an impossible task for them.

Humse Hai Jahan

Starring: Mashhoor Amrohi, Vishakha Singh, Jackie Shroff, Shahjad Khan, Kiran Kumar, A K Hangal, Mack Mohan, Prem Chopra and Mukesh Rishi
Music: Abuzaar, Sidharth Suhas Director: Mashhoor Amrohi
Ratings: **

Mashhoor Amrohi has attempted real task acting under his own direction in his debut film as a director. Trying to prove his mettle in winning the world, Mashhoor, in his debut film Humse Hai Jahan, has set an example to follow for the youngsters who want to act in their self-directed films.i

Don Gary Rosaria (Jackie Shroff) gets emotionaly hurt by Sameer (Mashhoor Amrohi) as he makes a mess at Gary’s hotel during an action and in order to reimburse his mental gash the don forces Sameer to work for his illegal operations. i

During this span Sameer needs fifty lacs rupees but he doesn’t have guts to ask Gary for that amount. Sameer plots to kidnap Esha (Vishakha Singh), the daughter of flop superstar Gyaneshwar Singh i.e. G S (Shahjad Khan), to bag the amount. i

But he fails all the time he goes to kidnap Esha with his friends. Then he traps Esha in his love and eventually succeeds in kidnapping her. But that success makes him confident enough to attempt more such things to earn more money. i

In that way he gets strangled among Dabar (Mukesh Rishi), Samba (Mack Mohan) and Pran Panwara i.e. P P (Kiran Kumar). Having no other option, Sameer decides to get helped out by his uncle Prithwiraj Khanna (Prem Chopra), who is a retired Indian ambassador.i

To avoid the long questionnaire of his uncle Sameer presents Esha as his wife. On the other hand G S, being very morose with the kidnapping of his daughter, contacts his long time friend Gary for help. i

Gary comes to think of Esha as his god daughter. Without having any hint about Sameer having his hand behind everything, Gary appoints him in search of Esha. Unfortunately Dabar and Pran inform Gary about how Sameer, acting as Esha’s boyfriend, has kidnapped and killed her. i

At last the story reaches its endpoint and like many other Bollywood films this film also ends on a happy note.i

As a writer Mashhoor never left a chance to make the audience bored. Acting and direction of the film was also up to the mark. Considering Humsey Hai Jahan as Mashhoor’s first film, he can be allowed a little freedom. i

Vishakha has acted well in accordance with her character. A K Hangal looks well in his new look of Mr. Wild West. On the other hand Kiran Kumar and Prem Chopra are such actors who these days are seen less on screen. i

Mashhoor has used them very well in this film. It won’t be wrong to call Prem Chopra the rising item boy because of his tapping toes in a song. i

But the sad note of the film is that Mashhoor, in keeping his eyes on portraying various characters, failed in creating perfect choreography. The story is well built but having it missed the comic touch it would have been very tough to sit and watch the film.

If you are a fan of Kamal Amrohi films then you would really love to watch his grandson’s film, only if it’s not otherwise. The rest is obviously upon the audience and their way of accepting the masala from the grandson of a classic maker.