Aitraaz

Coming from the celebrated directorial team of 'Baazigar' (*Shah Rukh Khan) and 'Soldier' (*Bobby Deol), this one merits watching. The plot outline of Barry Levinson's gripping 1994 drama 'Disclosure' (starring Michael Douglas and Demi Moore) has been nicely Indianized. There is no question that it is a remake of that Hollywood production, although the latter had a second plot-twist that Aitraaz doesn't provide.

Chances are that majority of the Indian audience may not have seen Disclosure and, therefor, will love Aitraaz. It is again proved conclusively that a good story-line and good storytelling are two absolute essentials in making a good film. Look at 'Ashoka' (starring Shah Rukh Khan). Lush photography, proved story-material, and what happens? Why does it bomb at the box office? Simply because such a gorgeous story wasn't told with consistency and well.

It happens. A proved material may bomb on revision because of uninspired direction (example: Hitchcock's 1960 classic 'Psycho' remade in 1998 by Gus Van Sant). Sometimes the opposite happens: 2001 remake of 1960's 'Ocean's Eleven' actually eclipsed the original.

See Aitraaz. The soundtrack is scintillating. The story is good. The direction is superb. Priyanka Chopra is exceptional. Kareena Kapoor is superb. Akshay Kumar is adequate. You'll like the film.

Abbas Mustan are back with the bang and this time with a bold theme which tackles with the issue of sexual harassment, with an exclusive twist by placing the man as a victim and the woman as an aggressor. Till now the moviegoer has witnessed man-sexually-molesting-woman but this time its opposite. It has been inspired by a Hollywood flick DISCLOSURE.

Raj Malhotra (Akshay Kumar), who works for a cell phone company, is popular amongst his circle of friends and work colleagues. But his world comes crashing down when he meets Sonia (Priyanka Chopra) again.

Sonia is an ambitious model with great aspirations. She knows what she wants in life. She is prepared to achieve her goals, whatever the price. Her fundas in life are crystal clear: Nothing shall come in between her wants and desires.

Raj is well aware that Sonia knew only one way to live and that was her way. And one fateful evening, things did not go her way. Sonia brings Raj's world to a screeching halt.

Raj's wife Priya (Kareena Kapoor), once a lawyer herself, is prepared to do anything to protect her husband's honor and dignity.

The deceitful dusk that threatens to put Rajs honor at stake, finds an adamant Priya at the opposing end. And from a content housewife, Priya becomes a woman with a mission that she must accomplish. She is now Rajs partner in more ways than one.

Thrown into this web of deceit is Rajs boss, Ranjit Roy (Amrish Puri), who happens to be Sonias husband. He is a mere pawn in her hands.

The drama has just begun. The court is far from adjourned and what happens next you have to watch by yourself.

Akshays performance in a serious silent role is satisfactory and the audience will sure sympathize with his character. Kareena's part as a wife is impressive. But she fails to make a mark in the role of a lawyer. AITRAAZ belongs to Priyanka Chopra completely. She plays a glamorous role with a gray shade. Priyanka gets an opportunity to bear her claws and she does it with complete understanding of the character. She sneaks her way through the role like an expert, drawing audience hatred the way a magnet collects iron filings.

Paresh Rawal and Anu Kapoor have made their wonderful input to the film as lawyers. A good courtroom drama viewer will see after a long time, after Damini (93). In a long courtroom scene, Paresh Rawal is able to keep the viewers engaged in the proceedings while Anu Kapoor appears in an impressive role after a long time. His last best performance was in Gardish (93). And the same year he started working for zee TVs program Antakshari.

On the whole, AITRAAZ is a well-crafted thriller that meets the expectations in each and every department from story, direction till performances and music. Its a must to see movie. 3 1/2 Out of 5

Aitraaz is a romantic thriller film directed by Abbas-Mustan. The film stars Akshay Kumar, Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor, Late Amrish Puri, Annu Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Late Vivek Shauq, Preeti Puri and Upasana Singh.

A married man is falsely accused of rape by his ex-girlfriend who is also his employer's wife. This motivates him to sue her for sexual harassment despite societal pressures with the help of his lawyer wife.

This film which is based on a very bold but social subject of sexual exploitation of a male by a female which is much more relevant today's era with rising number of fake cases on males by females. It doesn't means that all the cases raised by females are untrue but this is also a truth that some females has started to use this as a weapon against the males, now let's come to the review of the film. As mentioned that the subject of the film is very bold and were ahead of it's time the execution of the film is also decent to most of the time apart from the climax as the climax of the film looks more dramatic and doesn't convinces much.

The plot inspired from a Hollywood film is executed nicely and is been strongly supported by some great acting and melodious songs. Akshay Kumar is one of the most versatile actor and can fit in every role was very clinical in his performances, kareena Kapoor was also stunning and impressive, Priyanka Chopra was very very impressive in her role and almost outshone the main leads. I would've loved to see Amrish Puri and Annu Kapoor little more on screen but they were impressive in their limited screen presence.

Screenplay of the film is impressive and evenly paced. Cinematography is beautiful and BGM is impressive, Climax as mentioned could've been more refined and convincing.

Overall a good film on a bold subject and way ahead of it's time. Can be watched once.

This film is long but quite enjoyable. There is perhaps one twist too many and some needless shenanigans towards the end could have been avoided. Still, its fairly absorbing. Priyanka excels as the sexy vamp and burns up the screen with her presence. Kareena is saddled with the straight role but does well. Paresh Rawal steals the show as an adept lawyer. Akshay Kumar is alright although he essentially plays the victim in the film. The plot is a variant on the Hollywood thriller Disclosure, but there's a lot of Indian spice including some catchy songs. Watchable.

Overall 6/10

This movie is one that should not be missed. Its totally different from the rest. The acting was great!!! And the directors really showed that they are among the top. Priyanka Chopra will amaze viewers. She is a true example that breaks the cliché that models can't act. Priyanka does an exceptional job in the film. Akshay Kumar also shines in the film. He has grown immensely as an actor, and he did superb in the movie. It was refreshing to see Kareena Kapoor in a mature role. This role truly brought her acting skills, and it shows the viewers that she can do more than those bubbly characters seen earlier in her career. Even though Paresh Rawal's role was short in the film, it is one that you won't forget. He nails the part down to the bone and his time on the screen could very well be the highlight of the film.