Producer: Rachna Sunil Singh
Director: Partho Ghosh
Cast: Jackie Shroff, Muammar Rana, Manisha Koirala and Nikita Anand
Saroj Entertainment P Ltd.’s ‘Ek Second’ that has the tagline ‘Jo Zindagi Badal De’ has finally hit the screens all over. The hype and hoopla of the film was running on all the satellite channels creating the suspense quotient for the cinegoers as to what will happen on screen with the characters!
The name itself generates the suspense in plenty but despite all the publicity and the beguiling catch-line, the film did not create thirst to wait for the release inside the viewers before the opening and it was being largely expected and even this kind of talks were being churned out among the movie pundits that the film will not witness the turn out of the audience at the ticketing windows. The predictions of low sales were being expected and the same happened on the release date. The flick saw poor opening everywhere even in the metros too.
Partho Ghosh is that filmmaker whose films are acknowledged and applauded by the audiences and the critics alike. Check out his previous works – 100 Days (starring Madhuri Dixit and Jackie Shroff), Agni Sakshi (Jackie Shroff, Nana Patekar and Manisha Koirala) and Dalaal (Mithun Chakraborty and Ayesha Jhulka), the creative filmmaker’s dexterity is visible and all of these flicks made good box office business.
Besides these films have recall value. The viewer still recalls and enjoys the sequences while the reels run in mind’s celluloid. Partho now returns with ‘Ek Second – Jo Zindagi Badal De’ and seeing the man associated with this flick one simply wriggles!
‘Ek Second’ is undoubtedly an interesting subject to make a movie on but what a filmmaker can do when the writer is stubborn to spoil the food. Yes, the writing portion is the main culprit of the failure of this interesting subject else this was an enticing thought that could have better been delivered with conviction with a gripping screenplay, which, sorry to say, is not with this case. The idea is encumbered by the awful script.
Partho Ghosh too looks ancient with his outmoded execution of the material on screen. What happened to the intelligent man? Is this the age factor? Hope not! An inspiration from some Hollywood film, ‘Ek Second’ loses the interest level of the viewer from the opening reels. Neither the first half nor the post interval portion has potential to grip the viewer till the climax. In a capsule, ‘Ek Second’ is laced with full of flaws in every portion of the movie.
The film talks about a couple – Maummar Rana (an author) and Manisha Koirala (his beloved). A Casanova, he has two girlfriends Nikita Anand and Manisha Koirala. Nikita is said to be his first girlfriend. What takes place when Manisha misses the train with the fraction of one second?
The two stories unzipped on screen simultaneously – first with Maummar Rana, Manisha Koirala and Nikita and the second with Jackie Shroff and Manisha Koirala. What happens to all of them is what forms the story!
There is nothing to rave big about in this flick. The outing is fully lackluster and mundane from all respects. The music (the title song has been promoted hugely on all channels is devastating both musically and visually) by the three musicians is ear poisoning. Choreography by Jojo Khan is unimpressive.
Cinematography is just about okay. Some sequences of the locales appeal to eyes. Editing is worst. Direction by Partho Ghosh, the captain of the ship, looks amateurish whereas the man is much talented and experienced. Amit Khan’s screenplay is the chief wrongdoer.
Coming to the performers of the film, Manisha Koirla looks sexy but does not display her histrionics for which she is famous and has been applauded many a time. Where have gone her skills of acting? In addition to that now the age factor clearly shows from the face. Pakistani import Muammar Rana (who is doing his second Bollywood film. Earlier he was cast in a very brief role in Sashi Rajan’s Doobara many years ago) does not appeal at all but yes, delivers good facial expressions.
Nikita Anand with her sexual acts looks effective on screen. But what is it called ‘acting’? She is far away from that. Jackie Shroff, the man with mammoth experience behind, depicts himself as a newcomer. The rest of the cast disappoints utterly.
On the whole, ‘Ek Second…Jo Zindagi Badal De’ cannot claim to change life at all. A disappointed enterprise altogether and a waste of money. Avoid it.
Rating: 0.5/5