By: Somesh Vasishth
If ample cleavage, shoddy make up and a garish sari wrapped dangerously low around the waist were all it took to portray a hooker then Kareena surely deserves a nomination for National award this year.
But that is not the case. Bebo did everything right in her capacity to play a prostitute convincingly but there is a slight problem, she doesn't look like one. After all we are talking about the glam-doll who survived six flops in a row so valiantly.
She is not the only problem with this Pritish Nandy film. Director Sudhir Mishra, who took over after the untimely death of Anant Balani, equally shares the blame for his botched job.
It seems like he was in a hurry to wrap up the film that's why he made his heroine run through so many catastrophic events in just one night, which starts with the heavy rain.
Rahul Bose is Aman Kapoor, an investment banker, who bumps into Chameli (Kareena Kapoor) while seeking refuge from the storm after his car breaks down at Mumbai's Flora Fountain. It's the place where the gregarious but golden hearted Chameli fishes her clients.
She tries to talk Aman into a deal but he won't budge. There is one more storm raging in his mind. After all it was a similar rainy night, which took his wife (Rinkie Khanna) and his unborn child away from him forever.
But the ice gradually melts and Aman sees the real girl behind this gaudy made up hooker. Perhaps that's why he decides to help when the trouble come calling for her.
Kareena, while eagerly trying to break away from her 'Pooh' image, has put a lot of hard work into her character. She not only visited commercial sex workers to pick up some tips but aped their mannerism too. The only problem with her is that she over does her part.
Keeping the commercial value in mind, the director ropes in Anupama Verma and Mahek Chahal for the songs, which are quite tuneful otherwise.
The screenplay is a spoilsport because it fails to convince why the protagonists are drawn towards each other.
Chameli, though a well-tried experiment, remains a more of Kareena's effort to prove herself as a serious actress than a serious film that stays with you for a long time.
