May 02, 2012 08:59 PM
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Very few films manage to create such a huge impact and give rise to drastic and contrasting views. Hate Story is the only such film in recent times! The first trailer raised uproar and Paoli Dam’s bold act definitely made a lot of people curious. As expected, the film did decent collections in Week 1 although the response was mixed. Thankfully, I didn’t get influenced by the negative views and went to see the film! Hate Story turned out to be a nice timepass ride. The intimate scenes are definitely a plus point but the film has a nice story to tell us as well!
The story of the movie: The managing director of Cementec Infra, Siddharth Dhanrajgir (Gulshan Devaiah) is scolded by his father and the founder of the company Kumar Dhanrajgir (Saurabh Dubey), after one of the employees is caught indulging in an illegal activity by the journalist Kaavya Krishna (Paoli Dam). Siddharth decides to take revenge and devises a plan. He first offers a cushy job to Kaavya in his company. Kaavya accepts, not realizing that it will turn out to be the biggest mistake of her life. Things take a very ugly turn as her family disowns her and the battered and scathed Kaavya decides to seek revenge. She turns into a sex worker and uses her sexuality to get even with Siddharth. Meanwhile, her best friend Vicky (Nikhil Dwivedi) is disappointed that Kaavya has changed so drastically but can’t do anything to get the old Kaavya back.
The first trailer had given most part of the story. Hence, the first hour was quite predictable and one knew what’s gonna happen next. However, director Vivek Agnihotri keeps the goings-on interesting and doesn’t let the film drag at any point. Siddharth’s ruthless exploitation of Kaavya shocks and hence Kaavya’s strong urge for revenge seem totally justified. The film certainly has loose ends and a lot of cinematic liberties have been taken, especially in the manner in which Kaavya manages to use the men to her advantage. But the film moves at such a fast pace and Vivek Agnihotri’s direction is such that one doesn’t get bothered about such glitches in the story. Also, the intimate scenes are definitely a plus point although many of such scenes have been substantially reduced by our honorary censor board! But it serves the purpose as it creates an impact.
The film gets better in the second half. The pre-climax was damn exciting, especially Nikhil Dwivedi’s chase sequence. Too good! The climax too had its moments, particularly Kaavya-Siddharth’s final confrontation. When one feels that the film is about to end comes another twist in the tale. To me, it was slightly unacceptable but actually worked fine for a film like Hate Story.
Paoli Dam makes a confident debut in Bollywood and appears at ease performing the most difficult scenes. She oozes oomph and indeed looks stunning. Hence, it looks very convincing when men fall for her and are ready to fulfill her wishes! A great debut and hope to see her more in Hindi films in character-driven roles!
Gulshan Devaiah is just outstanding and his scenes with his father were one of the strengths of the film. The actor has already impressed with his roles in Dum Maaro Dum, That Girl In Yellow Boots and Shaitan. But with Hate Story, Gulshan’s is going to reach dizzying heights and will be flooded with offers. One of the best performances of the year! I was a bit skeptical regarding Nikhil Dwivedi and feared that he has accepted a not-so-worthy role. Surely, he isn’t seen in most part of the film but has a significant part to play and gets to do some brilliant herogiri towards the end! Surely an actor who deserves to be seen more!
Joy Sengupta (Kunwar Rajdeo Singh) does fine in the supporting role. However, Iravati Harshe (Kunwar’s wife) creates more impact. Saurabh Dubey gives a topnotch performance. Mohan Kapoor leaves a mark. Bhairavi Goswami looks hot. Others do fine.
Harshit Saxena’s music is melodious. All songs of the film - Mahe Jaan, Raat and Dil Kaanch Sa – are well incorporated in the film. Amar Mohile’s background score is apt. Attar Singh Saini’s cinematography was alright. Rohit Malhotra’s dialogues were sharp at places but could have been better in other scenes. Vikram Bhatt’s screenplay was racy while Vivek Agnihotri’s direction is worth appreciating. His previous films Chocolate and Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal weren’t the best of products but even in those films, he showed signs of brilliance in the sense he knew where to go slow and where to move the narrative swiftly. Vivek applies the same method in Hate Story too and in spite of the flaws in the plot, ensures that viewers have a good time. Great job!
Some of the best scenes in the film:
All scenes of Siddharth Dhanrajgir with his father
Siddharth meets Kaavya for the first time
Kaavya ousted from Siddharth’s office
Kaavya meets Bhairavi
Kaavya in the gents loo (brilliant scene!)
The intermission point
Kaavya meets Kunwar Rajdeo Singh
Kunwar records video for Siddharth
The last 20 minutes
On the whole, Hate Story is a decent entertainer that works, inspite of its flaws, for three main reasons: Vivek Agnihotri’s fast-paced direction, Gulshan Devaiah’s brilliant performance and of course, Paoli Dam’s sizzling act! It’s nothing sort of a classic or must watch – just a 2 hour nice timepass film. Do try if you get an opportunity!
