Starring: Akshaye Khanna, Bobby Deol, Urvashi Sharma
Director: Abbas-Mustan
Naqaab is undoubtedly one of the most awaited movies of this year. It brings the successful combination of Abbas Mustan, Bobby Deol, and Akshaye Khanna. Together, they gave a huge hit in the form of Humraaz in 2002. So the expectations for this venture are really high. Has Naqaab lived up to them? Yes, it has to a certain extent. Don’t expect a Humraaz or Ajnabee when you watch Naqaab. This film is totally different from either of those two films.
Naqaab tells the story of Vicky (Akshaye Khanna), who’s in Dubai as a struggling actor, rich and handsome Karan(Bobby Deol), and a middleclass girl Sophie(Urvashi Sharma). Urvashi gets engaged to Bobby Deol, and they are about to get married. But soon Akshaye Khanna enters her life, and then things start changing. Sophie feels that somebody named Rohit is following her, and a third person is shooting the incidents in her life using a video camera.
The rest of the story tells about the mystery behind the camera. It also shows the past of all the three characters. Nothing is like what it seems, that’s the best way to describe it. The film is heavily inspired from the Hollywood flick: Dot The I.
Naqaab has everything, but it failed to shock me. The promo describes it as the most shocking thriller of the year, but it will hardly shock you. Although the thrilling events do not shock you, they are still a really good part of the movie. The climax is not appealing, though.
It’s difficult for the Indian audience to absorb a film like Naqaab. The film is too Hollywoodish. It would have been great if the script was converted a bit more, so that the Indian audience would understand it better. But Naqaab is a fine attempt from Abbas-Mustan because it’s something different.
Naqaab is not Abbas Mustan`s best work till date, but it is still quiet good. The directors have executed the film beautifully. Shriaz Ahmed’s screenplay is okay. It could have been tighter. Shriaz hasn’t provided much support to the director duo to make the film look better. Pritam’s music gels well with the mood of the film. Dialogues are well written. Cinematography (Ravi Yadav) is excellent.
Naqaab has good performances from both Bobby Deol and Akshaye Khanna. Bobby Deol is in superb form this time, and has played his role really well. Akshaye Khanna is first rate in the first half, but in the second half he is in the back seat, and Bobby takes hold of the audience. Urvashi Sharma is really lucky to get a film like Naqaab as her debut film. She has performed her role really well, but she has to work hard on her dialogue delivery. Rest of the star cast has performed their roles well.
On the whole, Naqaab is an entertainer all the way. It will entertain you surely to an extent, but it won’t shock you. It’s a good attempt from Abbas-Mustan. Don’t go for Naqaab expecting some huge suspense. Watch it if you like Hollywood style thrillers, as that is what Naqaab reminds you of. The film is likely to do well in Mumbai and Delhi. The only sad thing about the movie is its mystery behind the camera. It could have been better.
