After his sensitive "My Brother Nikhil" that dealt with homosexuality
and AIDS, new-age director Onirban returns with "Bas Ek Pal"
about complex urban relationships.
The Sanjay Suri-Urmila Matondkar starrer goes into the overlapping
issues of friendship, love, jealousy, passion, insecurity and anger.
The film revolves around five people bound by an incident that changes
their lives forever. Set in Mumbai, each character has a secret. When
they are unearthed, they alter the dynamics of every relationship in
the movie.
The story goes something like this:
After completing his MBA from abroad, happy go lucky Nikhil (Sanjay
Suri) returns to Mumbai where he bumps into Anamika (Urmila Matondkar),
an architect, at a nightclub.
For Nikhil it's love at first sight, but Anamika doesn't take him seriously
and disappears without even telling her name.
Nikhil starts visiting the pub anticlock regularly hoping to meet her
again. After waiting for several nights, he is sitting there with his
buddies Rahul (Jimmy Shergill) and Steve (Rehaan Engineer) when Anamika
comes with her friends.
Nikhil tries to woo Anamika, but her boyfriend butts in and an altercation
takes place, leading to a scuffle in which a shot is fired.
Time stands still as Nikhil realises he has shot his friend Rahul who
is lying unconscious on the floor.
The moment changes their lives. And as the movie progresses it unveils
their secrets one by one.
In the end, they realise that their quest for that ever elusive moment
of happiness complicated their lives.
Critics liked the film but were not too happy with the climax when
it was shown at the Osian Film Festival in the capital this year. Onirban
had said he might tighten his film a little bit.
If he has indeed made the necessary alterations, the film is well worth
a watch.