Recall
Is
Raat
Ki
Subah
Nahin.
The
turn
of
events
in
a
single
night
kept
you
on
tenterhooks
all
through
the
film.
Payback
has
a
different
plot
line,
but
like
Is
Raat
Ki
Subah
Nahin,
the
story
unfolds
in
one
night.
But
the
similarities
end
there.
Frankly,
Payback
had
the
ingredients
to
be
a
riveting
fare,
but
the
mundane
writing
plays
the
spoilsport.
I've
often
said
that
most
Hindi
films
sound
damn
interesting
on
paper.
I
am
sure,
the
concept
of
Payback
must've
come
across
as
fresh
and
innovative
during
story
discussions,
but
the
film
comes
down
like
a
house
of
cards
because
the
interesting
idea
becomes
an
uninteresting
and
unexciting
screenplay,
which
tells
on
the
film
eventually.
In
fact,
the
film
falls
prey
to
predictability
as
it
progresses.
Kunal
[Munish
Khan],
who
works
for
an
insurance
firm,
loves
Ishita
[Sara
Khan],
an
architect.
One
fateful
night,
Kunal
meets
with
a
fatal
accident.
While
he
lies
in
a
pool
of
blood,
no
passerby
cares
to
stop
and
attend
to
him.
Kunal,
still
conscious,
is
losing
hope,
when
Raghu
[Zakir
Hussain]
stops
to
help
him.
Raghu
admits
Kunal
to
a
hospital
and
disappears
into
thin
air.
For
Kunal,
Raghu
is
an
angel.
Three
months
later,
Kunal
accidentally
meets
Raghu
and
invites
him
over
to
his
place.
The
next
night,
when
Raghu
appears
at
Kunal's
doorstep
with
a
bullet
shot
in
his
shoulder,
Kunal
impulsively
decides
to
help
him
out.
But
as
the
night
progresses,
Kunal
gets
to
know
that
Raghu
might
have
been
a
savior
for
him,
but
is
actually
an
assassin.
Kunal
is
in
a
dilemma.
When
things
get
dangerous
and
Ishita
is
also
dragged
into
it,
Kunal
is
forced
to
make
a
decision
--
how
far
he
will
go
to
repay
Raghu's
debt?
Despite
a
hackneyed
screenplay,
which
alternates
between
realistic
and
filmy
situations,
I'd
like
to
single
out
director
Sachin
P.
Karande's
execution
of
the
material.
It's
effective
at
places.
A
few
chase
sequences
[action:
Firoz
N
Boss]
catch
your
attention.
Background
score
is
appropriate.
There's
just
one
song
in
the
film,
'Jee
Le',
which
is
foot-tapping.
The
cinematography
[Parvez
Pathan]
is
just
right,
but
the
constant
moving
of
camera,
even
during
close-ups,
tends
to
get
irritating.
Munish
Khan
does
reasonably
well.
Zakir
Hussain
is,
as
always,
competent.
Sara
Khan
doesn't
get
any
scope.
In
fact,
the
romance
between
Munish
and
Sara
is
missing
in
the
story.
Mukesh
Tiwari
is
effective.
Gulshan
Grover
leaves
an
impression.
Hrishikesh
Joshi
is
just
perfect.
On
the
whole,
Payback
could've
been
an
interesting
fare,
but
is
let
down
by
an
inconsistent
screenplay.
Payback
cast
&
crew:
Director:
Sachin
P.
Karande
Producer:
Sarosh
Khan
Starring:
Munish
Khan,
Sara
Khan,
Gulshan
Grover,
Zakir
Hussain,
Mukesh
Tiwari,
Hrishikesh
Joshi
and
Kunal
Kumar
Music:
Dev
Sikandar