Ek Hasina Thi

Revenge stories are done to death in bollywood but this is different, never wrong a girl who loves you from heart . Movie charter a different chart with crisp editing and impactful dialogues urmila plays it's part in amazing way Saif once again proves he is underrated Direction is superb

From producer Ram Gopal Varma and director Sriram Raghavan comes a pretty good revenge thriller, which is definitely one of the better Indian movies this year.

Cast against his usual roles, Saif Ali Khan plays a slick criminal whose dealings with terrorists and the Delhi underworld get his girlfriend Sarika (Urmila Matondkar) into prison. However, toughened by prison life, Sarika manages to escape and takes revenge.

Progressing somewhat slowly during the first 15 minutes, but then gaining momentum at an increasing pace, this movie never slows down and manages to keep your interest for the full duration, which at only 120 minutes is significantly less than most Bollywood movies. There are also no disruptive song or dance sequences that would distract you from the plot.

In fact, one of the problems that I have with this movie is that it is a bit too short -- in particular the prison sequence seems rushed: Sarika's character development from the innocent, naive girl to the tough, cold-blooded killer is not fully developed and feels a bit sudden as a result.

My second problem is with the ending, which, while not inappropriate, feels a bit out of line with her previous revenge strategy. It still works fine, but one feels that it could have been built up better.

Other than that, however, there are no obvious problems with the plot, and acting is good from most main and supporting actors. Seema Biswas in particularly stands out in her role as the determined female police officer in pursuit of Sarika.

Definitely worth watching, and much better than anything Hollywood, USA has produced in this genre in a long time.

...but EHT manages it very well. Its a refreshing change from the fare the we are regularly subjected to by Bollywood. There are no ridiculous song and dance sequences, no melodramatic dialogue delivery and even the gory action sequences are underplayed.

The movie is about a single girl living alone in Mumbai away from her family ("on her own terms" is what the reviews say) and how she deals with extraordinary circumstances that surround her meeting the man of her dreams (on the lines of Pacific Heights, or Sleeping with the Enemy). The movie suspiciously feels like its a remake of some Hollywood thriller, but without concrete evidence, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.

The movie manages to remain realistic on the whole without giving in to the usual ludicrous melodrama and action scenes at the end. Having said that though, there are a few elements that are difficult to believe. For one, the occupation of the lead character, Sarika. Can a single girl really survive alone in Mumbai with her lifestyle as a booking agent in a travel firm? And for a single girl, she is amazingly gullible when a man woos and beds her. Is it really that easy? Finally, Ram Gopal Verma's penchant for introducing threatening and mysterious characters that turn out to be harmless and irrelevant (the neighbour, Kamdar and the talent scout) is getting old.

Even with its flaws, EHT deserves a high rating. Not because its a great movie or will be a classic someday, but because it simply offers a better movie going experience than most other Bollywood movies today. Its very nice to know that a movie without songs can hold its own, especially when it is mainline cinema.

My Rating : 7/10

A bit long-ish but if you're familiar with Bollywood movies then it's nothing.

Overall, a good watch and well-acted. Rare to find darker stories in Bollywood cinema so it's great to actually have something like this to have even been made.

Well-paced, well-directed and no unnecessary melodrama, no songs either which is rare. Recommended.

In recent years, more and more Indian films are making their way to America. Just a decade or so ago, they were practically impossible to find. Now, Netflix, Hulu and even local cable channels carry Indian films. While they are not yet commonly watched by the average person in my country, this is quickly changing as people are realizing that India is making some great films.

Most of the films we have been getting are musicals--which are very popular in India. Most of these are also romances. However, a few films are NOT the same formulaic pictures (even though I like these romances, there is a certain sameness about many of them). A few of Satyajit Ray's films, gangster films (which I assume are VERY popular in India since I've seen so many) and comedies are also available--but you have to look a bit harder for them.

One of the best of these non-formula films I've recently seen is "Ek Hasina Thi". When I say non-formula, I mean that it has no production dance numbers and the film is much more realistic and gritty. And, because of this, the film is a nice change of pace and well worth your time.

This movie begins with a beautiful lady (Sarika) being stalked, somewhat, by a handsome young man (Karan). He is VERY persistent and a tad creepy--as he comes on really strong. But he's also very thoughtful and sweet and she falls for him...reluctantly. A bit later, one of Karan's 'friends' drops by her apartment and leaves a suitcase. Soon, she sees on the news that the man who visited her was a gangster and he's dead!! Sarika has no idea what to do and still thinks her boyfriend is what he claims to be--a guy who's made his fortune in stocks and bonds. This is a HUGE mistake, as soon the police arrive and find her with the suitcase and arrest her. And, based on advice from him and his sleaze-bag lawyer, she pleads guilty. These two told her the court would just release her and that would be that. Instead, she's given a huge sentence and sent to a hellish prison. She soon comes to realize that she's been set up to be the fall girl for a very bad man...and the quiet and sweet girl evolves into a very angry lady--one who is able to kill, if need be, to get revenge.

While I would normally say no more (as it might spoil the film), I noticed that IMDb's summary gives a LOT of information. So, it lets you know that she does escape prison and she does plot revenge. I really, really liked this--as it was exciting to see the mousy lady become a Rambo-like hero. However, very importantly, it was NOT all action and a lot of the crazy stuff she did was believable....at least compared to many revenge films. See this one--and see the really cool ending. Well made all around.