Inspired by the Hollywood film Disclosure,
the idea is bold — a man accusing a woman of sexual harassment and
taking her to court. But whether it will work for the desi masses is
another story.
Cellular company executive Raj Malhotra (Akshay Kumar) and lawyer
Priya (Kareena Kapoor) fall in love and get married. Out of the blue,
Raj’s past catches up with him in the form of Sonia (Priyanka Chpra) with
whom he had had an affair.
Now she is the boss’s (Amrish Puri) wife and sexually nags Raj. When
he refuses, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Raj finds himself
facing rape charges and pressure to quit his job. The only woman who
believes in him is his wife.
"I just want to sleep with you," Priyanka
croons into Akshay Kumar's burning ears. Sex-at-the-workplace thus comes
tumbling out of the closet in Abbas-Mustan's "Aitraaz".
But will the audience enjoy watching Subhash Ghai (Producer)
and his mainstream crew getting steamy on screen, when they can watch
Dilip Kumar courting Madhubala with poetry, songs and coy glances in "Mughal-e-Azam"?
Though Aitraaz is a slick, stylish turn-on product
from Subhash Ghai and directors Abbas-Mustan, it fails to impress.
It is clearly Chopra’s film. She sizzles and
devours the screen with her smoldering sexuality and hidden talent.
Akshay Kumar is subdued, but his performance lacks conviction.
Karrena Kapoor sparkles for an instant in the all-too-brief confrontation
scene between her and Chopra. Vibrant yet simple she is convincing in
her love for her husband.
The courtroom drama somewhere fails to make an
impact. The dialogues are bold and intriguing — for example, Kumar
tells Chopra, “So you want me to be a male prostitute?
Never!” Or Kapoor’s confrontation with Chopra in the latter’s office (Priyanka’s
advice to Kareena: Tell your husband to be my ‘keep’ for a lifetime
and complete the ‘unfulfilled job’) but even that fails to hold up the
narrative.
The songs are a disappointment and break the pace of the story. A taut
narrative and dramatic end are missing. Instead the film ends in a
whimper.
What’s the end? If you still don’t have any aitraaz you can
find out.
Mainstream actors
are willing to walk that extra mile...into the bedroom.
Articles
Astrology
Inspired by the Hollywood film Disclosure,
the idea is bold — a man accusing a woman of sexual harassment and
taking her to court. But whether it will work for the desi masses is
another story.
Karrena Kapoor sparkles for an instant in the all-too-brief confrontation
scene between her and Chopra. Vibrant yet simple she is convincing in
her love for her husband. 