A woman driven by desires, a faithful husband who refuses to succumb to temptations of extra-marital sex and a trusting wife who would fight to any length to win back her husband's honor and esteem - Abbas Mastan's thriller Aitraaz is a gripping film that entertains without resorting to usual Bollywood stereotypes.
The movie starts off like any other ordinary love story (between Akki and Kareena) but picks momentum with the introduction of Priyanka Chopra who plays a manipulative woman eyeing to seduce Akki for her own sexual gratification.
Although the theme of a woman seducing a man sounds provocative, the director duo has handled it cleverly so that it is watchable with the family crowd too.
The movie reaches a high at the interval point with Priyanka eventually trying to seduce Akshay, even as the latter struggles to resist the temptation and walks out on her, leaving her fuming and screaming at him to 'finish' what they had started.
The focus shifts to the courtroom in the second half with Priyanka accusing Akki of sexual harassment. At this juncture, two more interesting characters are introduced - Paresh Rawal and Annu Kapoor as the lawyers for Priyanka and Akki.
The movie also becomes interesting in the second half because Kareena's character acquires a new shade. From the passive wife of Akki, she transmutes into a fiery woman who would fight with the vamp Priyanka to win back her husband's honor and esteem. As the drama builds up for a final showdown, the movie keeps a viewer glued to the seat until the expected end.
The best acting performance in the film comes from petite Priyanka Chopra who seems to have gotten under the very skin of her vampish character. Her facial expression and body language aptly expresses the deviousness of her character.
Akshay Kumar underplays his character and rightly so, while Kareena Kapoor lies low in the first half but rises to give a credible performance in the latter part of the movie. Particularly impressive is one scene in the second half when she encounters Priyanka in latter's office.
In a nutshell, Aitraaz is a wholesome entertainer with romance, seduction, conspiracy and courtroom drama supported by credible performances by the starcast and a good story.
Movie Review : Don't succumb to temptations (6/10) A woman driven by desires, a faithful husband who refuses to succumb to temptations of extra-marital sex and a trusting wife who w...
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