Dhokha (2007)

Strong and Moving!

Powerful

Absolutely the worst movie.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Pooja Bhatt has done a great job this time. All the performances are top-notch from Anupam Kher to Ashutosh Rana to Sara. Muzammil gives a fantastic debut. The Bhatt camp cannot deliver a movie without good songs, and Dhokha is no exception. Some portions may be hard to believe such as Muzammil's quick escape from Al-Qaeda and the Indian government's leniency with his brother-in-law, but this film is about possibilities for improving the country, not so much documenting on the grim reality. It is very interesting how Muzammil goes to the root of the problem to find a solution. In the end, he conveys a very important message that needs to be told. The government itself is giving birth to terrorists through, for example, the corrupt interrogation system (cough::Guantanamo Bay::cough). If the government practices its roles and duties more ethically, the world will be a safer place.

Pooja Bhatt is living proof that Farrah Khan was wrong, not all female directors have been cursed to the realm of documentary film making. I saw a recent episode of 'Koffee with Karan' in which Karan Johar praised Farrah Khan's directing prowess by telling her that she is the only female actress out there who makes fun movies and Ms. Khan responded by saying something to the effect of what I wrote above. But anyway, back to Dhokha.Literally translated, it means 'Deceit' and just about fifteen minutes into the film, the movie begins to realise its name. ACP Zaid Ahmed Khan (played by stunningly sexy newcomer Muzammil Ibrahim) bumps into Nandini AKA the-one-that-got-away (played by Aushima Sawhney) at a college reunion and is flooded by hurtful memories from his past. In flashback, during the opening song we see how Nandini and Zaid came to part ways shortly after the September, 11th 2001 terrorist attacks. Nandini being a Hindu and Zaid being a Muslim, her parents forbade her to ever see him again and quickly married her off to an NRI (Non-Resident Indian) and sent her abroad. She has now returned seven years later, a divorced woman and immediately the old flame is rekindled. That is until Zaid tells her that he is happily married. But Zaid happiness is quick to fade when the city of Mumbai is rocked by a terrorist attack and he is summoned to come and identify a body in a morgue. Upon reaching there, he has the sad task of positively identifying the body he views as Sarha (played by an equally stunning Tulip Joshi) his wife.Before long, Zaid is arrested and because of his Muslim background is implicated in the case as details begin to surface about the bomb blast. An investigation headed by ATS Chief Raj Mehra (played by Gulshan Grover) yields the preliminary results that Sarha was possibly the suicide bomber (hence the title of the film 'Dhokha') and this news crushes Zaid who refuses to believe it. But as more and more details begin to surface Zaid begins to slowly accept the truth which forces him to launch his own private investigation. If his wife was a terrorist, then obviously it was for a reason and she must have definitely worked for someone or some group. But the further he digs, the more horrifying things he discovers about his late wife's past. Anupam Kher co-stars as Sarha's grandfather.Kher & Grover were standard but great performances by both Joshi & Ibrahim. Their chemistry was just off the screen in this film. The film is similar to Shah Rukh Khan's Dil Se... in that it's about a female terrorist and it has great music but nevertheless it still earns an solid A.

If Daddy does a critically acclaimed "Zakhm", will daughter lag behind? Yes, "Dhokha" seems very much inspired by the former and tried to dish out a product which is a mix of suspense, marriage, communal (dis)harmony, pseudo-secularism and suicide bomber.Muzammil Ibrahim is not too bad especially the script demands varied emotions. Can act, though woody at times... but hey – not too bad for a newcomer.Tulip Joshi – one expression. The scene carrying a machine gun in her hand reminds you of a 1980's movie.Aushima Sawhney – The story could have done away with her character. Does every product from Bhatt camp has to do with extra-marital relationships? Ashutosh Rana , Anupam Kher, Gulshan Grover – reliable as usual.Songs by M M Kreem are good.Finally about Pooja Bhatt, I think she is good as a production controller for she seems to put more effort on bean-keeping thereby killing the creative force required to don the director's hat. Her fallout with the lead actor – is it a mere publicity stunt? The story-line is very much predictable. While "Dil Se" had delved deeper into the psyche of suicide bomber, "Dhokha" deals the issue at a superficial level.However it seems the project did initiate with an honest attempt to give an insights into the cause and effects.

a good film but not amazing...yes, it is different and thought-provoking like all mahesh Bhatt films. This film, however, could have been MUCH better. Everyone acted well, direction was great. Cinematography was also good, so where did it lack? The movie was too fast paced. The film should have been at least 2 hours and 30 minutes. It seemed rushed.Too much takes place in the first 30 minutes of the film.Too many questions are asked. Mahesh Bhatts previous film, awarapan, which was directed by Mohit Suri, was brilliant! This film, however, had the potential to be even better than Awarapan since Terrorism is something everyone can relate to. Awarapan was only for people who understand the true Muslim religion. Basically Dhokha is a good film but could have been better. Also, why is there use of many English words in this film? This is a Hindi film and should be totally in Hindi. When they speak English it sounds fake. The film gets a 7 because it is good and the subject is quite meaningful.