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'Barsaat' Down the Drain

By Nitika Desai
Film critic, ApunKaChoice.Com

Love-triangle, a theme that has been beaten to death in Bollywood, forms the pivot upon which director Suneel Darshan’s movie Barsaat rests.

One man caught between two women – one of them he doesn’t love but is married to, and the other he loves and wants to marry.

This

confusion of romantic inclinations of the protagonist is brought to clarity via transformation in his character through highlighting the richness of Indian values of karva chauth, the importance of marital vows and a husband’s commitment to his wife – all against the backdrop of festivities and family melodrama typical of Sooraj Barjatya movies. And the conclusion of this love triangle is as predictable as the sun rising every morning.

Mr. Darshan still seems to be living in the days of yore, when melodrama and soppy sentimentality was the staple among movie buffs. In the times when filmmakers are trying different themes and genres, Darshan comes out with a film that reflects the old, outdated, antediluvian mindset.

The film has Bobby Deol playing Arav, an ambitious man who leaves his family to pursue a career in car designing abroad.

Arav was forced to marry Kajal (Priyanka Chopra) by his parents. But their marriage remains unconsummated as Arav left for the US to make a career.

In the US, Arav meets Anna (Bipasha Basu), a girl of Indian origin but raised in South Africa. A series of coincidences bring the two together on three different occasions. Anna already begins to feel a spark for Arav in her heart, but he is focused on getting a job in BMW.

Arav gets the job, thanks to another remarkable coincidence – Anna’s grandfather (Shakti Kapoor) happens to be the Chairman of the BMW company.

Slowly, Arav and Anna are drawn towards each other. At the launch of a new BMW car model designed by Arav, Anna’s grandfather announces their engagement. The two lovers seem all set to become life partners, but then, Arav gets a call from home. His father is ill.

Arav rushes home, only to encounter the past he had run away from. In his heart, he seeks divorce from Kajal. He tells her his wishes. At first, Kajal laughs Arav’s declaration as a joke, but later realizes the gravity of it. She thenceforth tries to move out of his life.

It is now the Indian traditions of Karva chauth, the importance of sindhoor and mangal sutra etc bring about a slow transformation in Arav’s heart. He begins to understand the importance of marital vows and begins to develop genuine affection for Kajal.

But then, Anna and her grandfather arrive from abroad to set Anna’s marriage with Arav. What happens next?

The first half of Barsaat has just one silver lining – Bipasha Basu. No two opinions about her oomph and sex appeal. In fact, Bobby Deol looks quite bland and is not able to match up to her chemistry in the movie.

Also waning the impact of the story in the first half are a number of songs that are in the movie just for the heck of it. It is a formula that many Bollywood filmmakers find hard to shed, but at the same time, know not how to incorporate it judiciously in their movies without diluting the impact of the story.

The second half of the movie moves into a Barjatyaesque family setting with pita-mata, bhaiya-bhabhi, their kids, servants and friends. There are festivities, playful games and traditional rituals, all of which bring about a slow change of heart in the protagonist Arav.

The climax of the movie is a letdown. Although the conclusion to the story was predictable, but the way it is brought about takes away whatever little juice the story had.

Priyanka Chopra underplays her character skillfully. Bipasha Basu entices in the first half and shows her acting skills at the movie’s fag end. Bobby Deol delivers a weak performance.

In short, Barsaat is a waste of precious celluloid. The movie has nothing more to offer than soppy sentimentality that seems to be the forte of Darshan.

Down the drain

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