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Corporate
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'Corporate' Worth a Watch

By Aparajita Ghosh
Film critic, ApunKaChoice.Com

After exposing the underbelly of the glitterati in Page 3 , filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar now steps into the boardroom.

In his latest film ‘Corporate’, Bhandarkar takes a dig at the corporate world and exposes the depravity that has become an intrinsic part of the business culture in the times of cutthroat competition.

Through

a simplistically told story of rivalry between two business houses, Bhandarkar brings to light the covert business tactics and the underhand ploys that are played in the game of one-upmanship between two industrialists. In the thick of this corporate tussle, Bhandarkar places the central character of his story – a smart and ambitious executive, played by Bipasha Basu.

The film has Rajat Kapoor and Raj Babbar playing two bitter rivals. Vinay Sehgal (Rajat Kapoor) and Dharmesh Marwah (Raj Babbar) are the MDs of their respective companies, Sehgal Group of Industries and Marwah International Private Limited.

While Sehgal is a stylish and modern entrepreneur, Marwah is a traditional, superstitious businessman who takes advices from his spiritual guru and wears gemstones to bring him good luck in business.

Nishigandha (Bipasha Basu) is a top executive working for Vinay Sehgal. She is clever, sly and often uses manipulation and deceit to get the work done.

Sehgal’s brother-in-law Ritesh (Kay Kay Menon) joins the company. Ritesh and Nishi are more than colleagues. They share love for each other.

Things gather pace after Nishi manages to steal a business plan from Sehgal’s rival Marwah. The plan is about a cola brand that Marwah plans to launch. To kill the competition at its very root, Sehgal launches a similar product before Marwah. But Marwah won’t take it lying low. He will hit back at Sehgal.

In the process, Nishi’s conscience is shaken as she sees basic moralities and ethics abandoned in the race for profits and one-upmanship. She also ends up paying a huge price for her ambition.

‘Corporate’ showcases the acting talent of Bipasha Basu. The actress, usually seen as a glamorous siren, has shed her typical image and given a performance full of subtle nuances. She brings in her character a right mix of toughness and vulnerability, cunningness and repentance.

Rajat Kapoor and Kay Kay Menon are two other actors who stand out. Rajat fits the role of a shrewd and guileful businessman to t. Kay Kay Menon speaks through his facial expressions. On the other hand, Raj Babbar underplays his character commendably. He convincingly plays the traditional, emotional businessman who, however, is not without moral corruption.

Minissha Lamba and Sammir Dattani have very brief roles in the film.

The first half of ‘Corporate’ is a bit of a drag, with all the business parlance and corporate lingo. But it is in this half Bhandarkar lays the foundation for the drama that unfolds in the second half. The movie picks tempo after the interval and the story sort of reaches a crescendo with a moral lesson that perhaps one shouldn’t get involved in one’s job too seriously.

Although ‘Corporate’ is a well intended movie that deals with a subject that hasn’t often been told in Hindi films, but the movie eventually talks about the same business tactics and manipulations that even a layman might be aware of. And in doing so, the film actually reeks a bit of cynicism. The truth remains that there is more to the corporate world than just deceitful dealings and betrayals. But Bhandarkar focuses only on the ugly side – top executive sleeping with high-class hookers, the nexus of corporate world with corrupt politicians, the innocent taking the fall while the guilty walks away free. At the end of the day, the film will have you believe that many of the executives in their well-preened suits and ties are morally bankrupt within.

If only this cynicism and angst can be compromised with, ‘Corporate’ emerges as a good movie that ought to be seen once.

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