Ek Hasina Thi

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.

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.

Ek Hasina Thi is a wonderfully absorbing film. It is gritty, realistic, gripping, and it successfully adopts the style of Ram Gopal Varma's film-making. This thriller develops at a taut pace, starting as a simple romance and later gradually growing in suspense with its shocking proceedings. It is about a young independent woman, Sarika (Urmila Matondkar), who falls for a young suave man, Karan (Saif Ali Khan) who is actually not the one he appears to be. Unexpectedly, her world is turned upside down when she finds herself jailed because of him. That's how the story of her hardening begins, when, toughened by prison life, she gets determined to take revenge. The film does not have any unnecessary subplots, it avoids melodrama, it is relatively short, it has no songs, and all these elements contribute to its authenticity and suspenseful mood, also aided by its fantastic background score, brilliant dialogues, and superb cast.

Urmila Matondkar is one of the finest and most versatile actresses in India. But, in spite of having attained nationwide fame, she is still extremely underrated. It may be because she stepped into a new kind of cinema in order to satisfy her artistic hunger and show her exceptional acting abilities. In Ek Hasina Thi, Urmila stars as Sarika Vartak, but although she plays one character, she actually plays two different women. She is first a gentle and simple class-working woman who, after being deceived by a man, turns into a merciless, calculating and almost sadistic avenger. The complexity of this challenging character arc is astounding, and there is not a single false note in the way Matondkar portrays this deeply troubling transformation. She is thoroughly relatable, real and compelling, handling the toughest and most brutal moments with depth, authenticity and unsettling intensity. This is a performance to remember.

Quite obviously, the rest of the cast are here only to support Urmila, but they include a host of talented actors, all of whom do well. Saif Ali Khan is very impressive in this villainous turn. This is one of his most restrained acts, and his serious character comes as a pleasant surprise after all the comic, lighthearted and womanising characters he had played before. Seema Biswas can always be counted on to deliver a credible performance, and that's what she does as Malti. She creates a tough screen persona which is appropriately intimidating. Pratima Kazmi is superb as the powerful yet compassionate prisoner Pramila. In conclusion, Ek Hasina Thi is a great dramatic thriller, which is enjoyable, unconventional and thoroughly fascinating. The film has some disturbing moments and many moments of relief and joy. The ending is also one of the most unusual you will see in a Hindi film. One of the best Indian films of 2004.

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.

This movie is indeed ahead of it's time. One of the best thriller in Bollywood. Script will hold your interest throughout the movie .

Acting - everyone have done good piece of acting. I think, Ram Gopal Verma's movies usually don't have any complaint about acting, he always choose one of best actors.

Screenplay - excellent screenplay which is the reason you don't lose interest at any point in time in the movie. Good direction by Sriram Raghvan.

Some scenes will give typical bollywood feeling where lead actor becomes Superman or which will look fake but those are really rare.

Must watch.