Ek Haseena Thi Ek Deewana Tha Movie Review: A Puzzling Affair

There are some films that entertain. There are some films that bore. And then there are some films that puzzle you. Ek Haseena Thi Ek Deewana Tha turns out to be one such film. From first scene of the film till the last, it makes you wonder what exactly is the plot here. Is it just a triangular love story? Is it a supernatural affair? Is it a murder mystery? Is it a suspense thriller? What exactly is playing out there? All of this may have been okay as well had the narrative been cohesive. However what you get to see a spinning together of scenes that just do not connect with each other. What further baffles you is the fact that despite Suneel Darshan keeping the film's length to just 100 minutes and six songs filling up around 30 minutes of this duration, it is tough to make much sense of the remaining 70 odd minutes. (Spoilers ahead) Picture this. Right at the beginning there is a tale being told about a 'adhuri prem kahaani' half a century ago. So just when it is established that there is indeed an 'aatma' from the past which is back, you realize some time later that perhaps this was all a made up story. Just when you start believing that, another twist comes where you start doubting the earlier story. You somehow come out of that too when the first theory is back in the action. By the time it all comes close to the conclusion, you are presented with a finale that totally baffles you. This isn't all. Even the decisions made by the three protagonists (Shiv Darshan, Natasha Fernandes, Upen Patel) make you truly wonder what's happening on the screen. The girl is clearly not in love with her best friend but he doesn't want to believe that. Then she falls in love with a stranger in a couple of meetings. Minutes later, the stranger now wants to move away from her. Meanwhile, the family members (three at last count) happen to hover around them even as an intimate love triangle begins to play on screen in the most awkward of manner at the living room no less. So someone get killed, someone comes back from an accident, someone gets saved from being killed, someone gets killed in broad daylight, someone plans to get someone killed, someone actually gets killed and someone is already killed but guess what, is now no more dead - there are some all around weird moments that totally confuse you about the proceedings. Thankfully, the music (by Nadeem) plays on well and brings in some relief. The film looks good too, courtesy the cool frames in which director Suneel Darshan has shot the frames. As performers, Shiv Darshan is required to stick to one expression and more than that he is saddled with a characterisation where he is hardly able to act freely. Upen Patel is decent and actually emotes well at a couple of places where histrionics are needed. Natasha Fernandez looks good on screen though she has a Shilpa Shetty hangover (from Dhadkan). As a performer, she has a long way to go. Meanwhile, the film doesn't really go a long way when it comes to bringing on the entertainment quotient. One expected so much better. Disappointing!