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Silsiilay
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'Silsiilay' What Women Want!

By Nitika Desai
Film critic, ApunKaChoice.Com

Three different stories are told in tandem to show women’s perspective of relationships gone sour. In Silsiilay, filmmaker Khalid Mohammad, whose forte is women-centric subjects, explores the disenchantment, the dilemma and the pain that the three leading female protagonists go through in their respective relationships.

The first story is of Zia (Bhumika Chawla), a glamorous actress whose relationship with beau Neel (Rahul Bose) is going through its final stages. Zia wants a baby out of marriage with Neel, but he doesn’t want responsibilities. And it takes him not much time to move on and fall for another girl – leaving Zia emotionally wrecked.

The

second story is of a young, bubbly receptionist Anushka (Riya Sen) whose relationship with Nikhil (Ashmit Patel) is not without turbulence. Nikhil is a fast guy who wants sex, but Anushka is in two minds. Her colleague Tarun (Jimmy Shergill) is the man who lends her emotional support. Deep down he loves her, but has never mustered enough courage to tell her.

The third story is of a lonely housewife Rehana (Tabu) whose husband Anwar (Kay Kay Menon) is having an illicit affair with an airhostess Preeti (Celina Jaitley). Rehana’s stepson Inayat (Karan) harbors incestuous feelings for her. He has the Oedipus complex.

The three stories are woven together to give an insight into a woman’s world, her aspirations, sensitivities, sacrifices and eventually her hopes of defining her own destiny.

The film starts off on a promising note with Shah Rukh Khan (in a cameo) acting as the sutradhar to the stories of Zia, Anushka and Rehana.

Bhumika Chawla takes big strides in acting and convincingly brings out the inner turbulence of her character Zia, a glamorous, garish woman who becomes almost neurotic after being jilted by her boyfriend. Rahul Bose fits well into the role of her bookie beau who doesn’t want to sire a child.

The movie’s grip slackens a bit in the second story – Anushka’s – which is more like a teenybopper romance tale about a girl divided at her heart between a dashing dude (Ashmit) and a simple Mr. Dependable (Jimmy). Riya Sen gives an average performance and Ashmit Patel delivers a superficial one. Only Jimmy Shergill is able to bring out the honesty in his ‘nice-guy’ character.

Of the three stories the most interesting is Rehana’s. Tabu’s stoic portrayal of Rehana captures the strength of her character not through her words but through her subdued silence. Kay Kay Menon is oddly cast as her husband. Celina Jaitley is commendable in marginal but important role.

Cinematography in the movie (by Santosh Sivan) is top class. Although the songs in it have fine melodies, they break the spontaneity of the story. Even the climax of the movie is a bit long drawn.

Silsiilay is a piece of sensible cinema. It is not for the hoi polloi. The movie has a realistic treatment of characters. It convincingly tackles the issues of infidelity, incest and women’s right to self-assertion and their belief in themselves.

Worth a watch

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