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| As per the self- explanatory title, the film is a thriller-sort, involving two people who meet each other for the first time. So you have a suited, stiff-smiled Mr Rai (Kay Kay Menon, superbly restrained), and a floppy haired guy Rahul (Jimmy Shergill, chubby), talking psychology mumbo-jumbo, like how writing is like going to the loo, because both are a release of pressure. They should have named this film stranger, for one is yet to hear stranger dialogue. As they keep talking, cautious at first, they eventually pour out each other’s hearts and tell their sad stories. Rai had a fairly happy marriage, but his six-year-old son tragically died in an accident. The incident took an irreparable toll on his marriage. Rahul, a flop writer, who refuses to get a job, is going through wedding turmoil as well, and they both want out, but how? So they hatch a sinister plan to free each other of their dreary lives. It’s bizarre, because both seem educated, and there is no talk about how they’ll be able to escape the law. Still, you might be tempted to sportingly ignore such details and concentrate on what might happen ahead. Then come the mandatory twists and turns at a speed faster than the train the two were traveling in. To give the script its due, some of the surprises are truly riveting, and makes you want to know what’s next. There are some interesting moments through the film; and issues sensitively handled, like the breakdown of an otherwise-loving marriage is shown to be nobody’s fault, only unfortunate circumstances. You do end up liking bits of the movie, especially for Kay Kay Menon and Nandana Sen. Menon is superb, as always, and plays the challenging character, with several ranges, perfectly. Nanadana Sen looks lovely and is a natural onscreen, with a great voice, modulated well. She’s a pleasure throughout. Shergill has always been a competent actor, and some of his performances in films like Yahaan and Haasil were truly note-worthy. But here, he disappoints. All through the train trip, Rahul is supposed to be a bit of a mysterious character, but Shergill looks too harmless to carry off the sinister in the written role. Dare I say, he looks too boring. And confusing. For we are to believe that he lives in London, but with his shiny gold chain, faux-blonde hair that keeps hovering over his eyes, and a million gem-stoned rings in one hand, he’s made to look more like a Bhatinda munda trying to look kewl, and that’s an annoying distraction. More attention should have been paid to his styling, especially since most of the story hinges on him. Both the special appearances, by Sonali Kulkarni and Kitu Gidwani (nice to have her back), make a mark. Debutant director Anand Rai’s story has more holes than a fishnet, but he has strengths too, like sensitively portraying a new-age lookout to relationships and love and strong technical skills. The camera-click technique has been used to take us to and fro the flashbacks, but that gets repetitive after a while; the use of colour and black& white is immersing, without going overboard. Photography is very good, exceptional at places (Manoj Gupta). The music is fairly melodic with lyrics by Javed Akhtar and a nice hummable song by Lata Mangeshkar. The film is recommended for a lazy holiday watch; don’t expect an edge-of-the-seat thriller, and don’t expect a syrupy romance. The ride, otherwise, is fairly engaging. Verdict: Two stars |
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