Naqaab Movie Review: Thrills in bits only

The house of Abbas-Mustan has been known for its expertise with the thriller. With Naqaab as well, they stay true to tradition. The film has its fair share of twists and turns, which again, is very Abbas-Mustan-esque. But somehow, this time, the end lacks the punch of say, an Ajnabee, Aitraaz or a Humraaz for the matter.

Naqaab is a love triangle, but with a twist. The film revolves around the character of Sophia (newcomer Urvashi Sharma), who has a strange arrangement with millionaire Karan (Bobby Deol). She is a paying guest in his mansion, and by day, she works at the local Burger King joint. He is supposedly her friend, and when he suggests marriage, she jumps to say yes. They get engaged. Soon after, Sophia meets Vicky Malhotra, an out-of-work actor, and promptly falls in love with him. She ditches the millionaire at the altar and runs into Vicky's arms. While all this action is taking place, the duo is always under scrutiny. There is a secret camera which is constantly following them around. The raaz behind this is part of the twist that takes place.

Nobody really is who they profess to be, in the best tradition of the thriller. Karan, the millionaire is Rohit Shroff, a film director. Vicky is an out-of-work actor, paid to play out the role of Sophia's lover. This is a reality film being shot and an unsuspecting Sophia is the heroine of the film. Every move of hers has been filmed. The Naqaab is ripped off Karan's face. During the course of events, Vicky actually falls in love with Sophia. The lovers agree to go along with Rohit's plan regarding the film as he promises to put the videotape which captures the two making out, on the internet. The film gets released and wins laurels at Cannes and various other film festivals abroad. At its Indian screening at a festival in Goa, the lovers get their chance to get even. Thereby lies the twist in the tale.

The concept of a reality movie is very interesting. But the director duo is unable to exercise control over their script and screenplay. The first half goes on and on detailing the nuances of the relationship between Karan and Sophia and then Sophia and Vicky. The pace is quite lethargic. Plus the directors pick up on certain motifs, which really have no bearing to the plot. There is a false sense of mystery created over Sophia's past, plausibly to lead the audience into a blind alley. She was attacked by a stalker some years ago and still carries a scar on her arm. There are times during the course of the film, when she feels that she is being followed. Somehow, the directors are not able to build up a palpable sense of fear. And Sophia's fear that it might be her stalker again is a little farfetched, even as a red herring. The bit about the scar too is quite misleading. Another red herring, of course.

The problem with the second half is the first half. The exposition bit takes so long that it leaves the directors with little option but to rush through the second half. Enough ground is not created for the events that follow. In the second half of the film, it becomes quite obvious once Karan's true identity is revealed, who the next victim will be. The 'how' of it is the only thing left to see. To be fair, Abbas-Mustan's Naqaab does provide a twist in the end as well, leaving you with the unexpected. But the twist again veers on the 'how,' and not so much on the 'who'. But it does manage to generate some interest.

Newcomer Urvashi Sharma is truly one of the best things about the movie. She has the looks as well as the ability to act. Her confidence and her uninhibited performance are quite praiseworthy. The two heroes, Bobby and Akshaye, fit their roles to a T. Bobby plays the easygoing, mild Karan as well as the manipulative Rohit Shroff, with ease. Akshaye Khanna is a consummate actor and delivers a decent performance again. Raj Zutshi makes a small appearance as the mysterious photographer, who is following Sophia, but unfortunately has really nothing much to do. The two actors, who form the sidekicks to Rohit, are actually quite irritating.

Even though Pritam's music is quite catchy, it's not quite in the class of previous Abbas-Mustan films. Naqaab has the makings of a classier thriller. It just fails to take off from its premise of a reality film, which is quite interesting. In the final analysis, the film lacks the all-important punch.