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Raqeeb
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'Raqeeb' -Interesting

By Aparajita Ghosh
Film critic, ApunKaChoice.Com

With its ups and downs and its unexpected twists and turns, debutant director Anurag Singh’s movie ‘Raqeeb’, a suspense thriller, makes for an interesting watch.

Although ‘Raqeeb’ is largely inspired from an English movie, the film’s plot more or less traverses a less trodden path. It goes into flashbacks and back into the present, and springs surprises at unexpected junctures. By the movie’s end, all the assorted pieces of the jigsaw puzzle fit together and the manipulative mind games of the main plotter are revealed. The film has a rather conventional ending.

The

story of ‘Raqeeb’ revolves around four main characters played by Tanushree Dutta, Rahul Khanna, Sharman Joshi and Jimmy Shergill.

Remo (Rahul Khanna) is a suave businessman whose parents died in a car crash when he was just a child. As a grown up man, Remo is a successful entrepreneur with riches and social status. But he is an asthmatic who likes to keep to himself. He leads a rather secluded life.

Siddharth (Sharman Joshi) is an employee in Remo’s company. He is also Remo’s friend and well-wisher. He prods Remo to socialize with people and fixes him up for a blind date with Sophie (Tanushree Dutta).

Sophie is a theatre artist. By a remarkable coincidence her parents also died in the same accident that claimed the lives of Remo’s parents.

After initial hesitation, Sophie and Remo are drawn towards each other. They fall in love and get married.

The story reaches a new level with the entry of Sunny (Jimmy Shergill), Sophie’s ex lover. Sunny is totally obsessed about Sophie. The old love is rekindled and Sophie and Sunny have a passionate affair.

Sophie then plays her cards. She asks Sunny to eliminate Remo. The plan is to kill Remo in such a way that it should appear to the cops that he died a natural death. An asthmatic would die a natural death if someone were to take away his medicine and provoke his anxiety. The plan is simple.

On the day of the plan’s execution, Sophie plays another mind game. Remo is murdered and Sunny is arrested by cops.

If you think this is the story’s end, you are greatly mistaken. There are more surprises in store. More skeletons will tumble out of the closet.

Although one part of the movie’s suspense (Tanushree’s scheming nature) is revealed much early in the film, ‘Raqeeb’ still makes you sit on the edge of your seat with its unexpected twists. The culmination to the Jimmy Shergill track looks a bit abrupt, but it makes sense in the overall scheme of things.

Among the performances, the best comes from Sharman Joshi, who is getting better and better with every film he does. Sharman sure has the potential to become a brilliant actor.

Tanushree Dutta looks hot throughout the film. Her low-neck dresses and her perpetually exposed cleavage lend enough oomph to her character. Despite this, the girl manages to give a fairly decent performance.

Rahul Khanna is convincing in his performance while Jimmy Shergill seems to go over the top in some scenes.

The music by Pritam is strictly okay. Anurag Singh’s direction is tight and polished.

‘Raqeeb’ isn’t a path breaking film. But it does manage to hold your interest throughout its running time.

Rating: **1/2

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