Deepak Tijori, one of those directors who hold the view that either sex sells or SRK, comes up with a combination of suspense, mystery and sex in his movie Fareb. The movie, starring Manoj Bajpai, Shilpa Shetty and her sis Shamita, tells the story of a man accused of murdering the woman who seduced him.
Aditya (Manoj) is the creative director of an advertising company. He is a happily married man with a beautiful and caring wife Neha (Shilpa) and a kid.
Aditya's love and loyalty to his wife is tested with the coming of sensuous Ria (Shamita) who is the wife of one of the clients of Aditya's ad agency. Ria gets drawn towards Aditya and starts making subtle passes at him.
Her husband resting soundly in his grave, Ria is a desperate woman who can go to any lengths to get the man she wants. And when her temptations become hard to resist for Aditya, the so-far loyal husband, being a man, gives in to the temptation, but also withdraws at the right time.
This one partial act of infidelity by Aditya becomes poison for his marriage and creates a rift between him and Neha. But then, the worst happens. Ria is killed. The cops arrest Aditya for her murder. And there is also a blackmailer who threatens to expose Aditya's fling with Ria.
How will Aditya get out of this mire? Who is the killer of Ria? Who is the blackmailer? These questions form the crux of the remaining story.
Deepak Tijori tried to mix sex and suspense in his last movie Khamosh, but failed miserably. This time he has improved. While the unexpected twists and turns in the story maintain interest in the first half, the seduction sequences in between chip in for the necessary titillation.
However, what is missing in Fareb is an interesting and fresh story. Similar love triangles and bold seductions have been a part of many box-office duds and Fareb has little new to offer. Yes, the climax of the movie does come as a bit of a surprise, but doesn't redeem the movie of its shortcomings.
Manoj Bajpai is an exceptional actor, but in Fareb even his talent looks without its sheen. His character sketch leaves much to be desired. Shilpa Shetty looks ravishing and acts brilliantly, deftly underplaying her character. Shamita Shetty looks sensuous and is convincing in her acting as well.
On the whole, Fareb is a movie that you can somehow manage to watch once if you have nothing better to do. The movie does have its gripping moments - like Manoj-Shamita sequences in the first half or Manoj's courtroom catharsis before the climax - but there is hardly anything in the movie that one expects from a quality cinematic experience.
Movie Review : Lust, deception and murder (1/10) Deepak Tijori, one of those directors who hold the view that either sex sells or SRK, comes up with a combination of suspense, mys...
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