GLOSSY THRILLER WITH LOW SUBSTANCE
By Satyajit - Eye TV India Bureau
Critic's I-view
In recent times there have been a big quest for unexplored dark subjects or genres that might prove innovative for viewers and blessings for its connoisseurs. The quest has landed this time into new genre of "French noir" cinema, European styled crime thrillers that rest on the concepts of moral ambiguity and sexual motivation. 'Red' unravels the path of dark and sinister theme of deceit, jealousy, hatred and obsession through indifferent methods of story telling and narration. The film caters to the school of hard boiled crime thrillers with an ambience of low key lighting techniques where contrasting shades of colors (blue, black, gray and red) paint the chilling dramatic moments. 'Red' works with pessimistic approach in an urban setting where leading characters are trapped in unwanted emotional situations with a perspective of uncaring fate and destiny.
The first big question arises about its title of the film being 'Red' and not 'Black' as it glorifies the darker side of human emotions. It tries to be similar in title ('Red') with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Black' in terms of treatment and narration with dark and shady storyline but fails to hold its ground.
Like 'Eklavya-the royal guard', the film relies more on techno-wizardry of cinematic skills than on scripting or characterizations. The description of "noir" cinema might create a ripple in international or overseas market but overall the film fails to leave any indomitable impact. 'Red' brings memories of least heard 'Ek Tha Dil Ek Thi Dhadkan' (Isha Koppikar, Indra Kumar), unsuccessful 'Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha' (Salman Khan, Preity Zinta) and to a large extent to the highly successful 'Jism' (John Abraham, Bipasha Basu). Both 'Ek tha Dil Ek Thi Dhadkan' and 'Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha' were loose inspirations from Hollywood's 'Return to Me' and the concept of these films where heart transplant of a lover into another body forms the crux of the story for 'Red'. But it was 'Jism' revisited through unexplored genre of filmmaking that holds the centre stage for 'Red-the darker side'.
Erotic thriller 'Jism' was a loose adaptation from Hollywood crime thriller 'Body Heat' (1981) and it triggered off a rage among new crop of filmmakers that ended with strings of flops. Vikram Bhatt's 'Red' tries to be different in terms of cinematographic skills and story narration but proves too weak in its content. The film centers on extramarital affairs that result in multiple murders. The slick treatment works well for the elite audience but will hardly cast any spell on average viewer.
'Red' brings out maturity in less theatrical actors and this time it works well for sultry damsel Celina Jaitley. The actress who has been heavily criticized for her theatrical attributes shines the brightest. She forms the core of the content but her character fails to draw anything innovative. Bipasha showed her dare bare and deceitful attire in 'Jism' that worked wonders for her and to a large extent Celina's character bears strong similarity with it. She fits into the bill and the caricature of a desolated widow very well who attracts and entices with her sensuality for monetary gains.
The film starts off impressively with an indifferent style of story narration with contrasting monochromatic shades of blue and red depicting the inner emotions of the characters. The tempo builds up well in the midst of the first half but the second half is a complete downer.
'Red-the darker side' is the story of survival of rich billionaire Neel Oberoi (Aftab Shivdasani) after a successful heart plant. He is nursed by the medical expertise of Dr. Aastha (Kishori Shahane) and is blessed with the heart of dying millionaire Anuj Saxena. Neel feels obliged and wants to share moments with the donor's family. Anahita (Celina Jaitley) is the lonely widow of Anuj who lives reclusively in her posh apartment. She has the company of her bosom friend Ria (Amrita Arora) who shares most of her evenings in parties and discos. Rocky (Amin Hajee) is a hardcore party freak and drug addict who befriends Ria and her friends in parties.
Neel feels dejected for Anahita's loneliness and wants to share his gratitude with her. Unfortunately, their first meeting turns hostile but finally it culminates into love. Anahita shows her insecurity and suspects Ria's deceitful intentions in murdering Anuj. She even suspects Rocky's foul play in the game. In a tug of war Rocky is killed by Neel and the needle of suspicion tilts towards him. Police inspector Abhay Rastogi (Sushant Singh) follows every step and move of Neel but fails to draw any big conclusion. The beans are spilled in the climax when the truths about Anahita's deceitful intentions are revealed to Neel through Ria.
The film's biggest disappointment is its climax where Celina suspects Aftab's intentions. The slow paced narration in the second half decimates the viewer's interest and the end looks predictable. Every time you hear the loud voice of Himesh Reshammiya's singing you monitor a hot erotic sequence between Aftab and Celina. The unnecessary lip-lock scenes sound planted and it hardly gives any substance to the content. The second half of the moves around the murder mystery with thin plotline and loosely conceived screenplay.
'Red' completely belongs to the uninhibited theatrical talent and sensual body display of Celina Jaitley. The film brings her finest effort till date with an author backed role and she delivers moments of pain, agony, fear and obsession with full grace. The camerawork catches her physical tonality brilliantly with shades of red and blue in erotic and chilling moments. The sequence with Aftab where she displays her fear and her emotional outburst shows her growth as a refined actress.
Aftab's bald looks may not be trend-setting for his image but has worked well in the role of an obsessed lover. He matures as an actor with 'Red'. His character has some shades from his previous impressive performances from films like 'Kasoor'. Even Amrita Arora gets a meatier role than all her previous appearances. Sushant Singh gives a refreshing look as a cop and one remembers the sequence at the nursery garden where he interrogates about Aftab. Amin Hajee and Kishori Shahane work mechanically with their roles and script.
Pravin Bhatt's cinematography needs special mention and this is the biggest highlight of this glossy crime thriller. Manoj Tyagi's screenplay falls like nine pins in the second half and it forms the weakest link. Girish Dhamija's dialogue works well in the gripping dramatic moments but the script fails to deliver.
Himesh Reshammiya's funky pop music works well in the erotic sequences but the magic is missing. The soundtracks "Aafreen" and "Loneliness is killing" give moments of sensual gripping.
Vikram Bhatt has delivered successful thrillers like 'Ghulam', 'Raaz' and 'Kasoor' and much was expected from this film. The bad phase continues with 'Red' and one hopes to view better entertainment in his forthcoming 'Life Mein Kabhi Kabhi' and 'Fear'.
The film will fare its best in the first week and that too in multiplexes whereas it will be average to poor in single screen theatres. The collections will drop thereafter and the bad news continues for Bollywood box office barometer.
