This
is
something
I
fail
to
understand.
Why
do
interesting
ideas
or
one-page
concepts
fail
to
translate
into
a
fascinating
and
captivating
screenplay?
I
can
list
a
number
of
films
that
boasted
of
attention-grabbing
stories,
but
the
excitement
disappears
as
you
watch
the
reels
unfold.
Vikalp,
directed
by
Sachin
P.
Karande,
suffers
for
this
reason.
The
Australian
mini-series
Bangkok
Hilton
[1989]
is
fresh
to
this
date.
In
Bollywood,
the
most
famous
interpretation
of
the
mini-series
remains
Gumrah
[Sridevi,
Sanjay
Dutt].
Vikalp
doesn't
really
borrow
from
Bangkok
Hilton,
but
you
can
draw
parallels
with
the
plot.
Besides,
Vikalp
also
talks
of
hacking
and
terrorism,
so
that
makes
it
all
the
more
interesting.
So
what's
the
problem?
Well,
the
writer
seems
clueless
when
it
comes
to
doing
justice
to
the
subject
material.
What
could've
been
a
taut
edge-of-the-seat
thriller
becomes
a
tame,
bland
and
amateurish
attempt
in
its
latter
reels.
In
fact,
the
sequences
leading
to
the
finale
and
also
the
conclusion
of
the
film
throw
a
spanner
in
the
works.
Rishika
Gandhi
[Deepal
Shaw],
a
docile,
middle
class
girl
from
an
orphanage,
is
a
sort
of
prodigy
in
the
field
of
computer
education.
She
works
in
an
IT
company
in
Mumbai.
Some
goof
up
happens
and
she
resigns
from
her
job.
At
the
same
time,
her
personal
life
too
gets
a
jolt
from
the
blue
when
her
boyfriend's
family
accuses
her
of
using
their
son
for
seeking
financial
security.
Humiliated
and
heart-broken,
Rishika
decides
to
leave
India
and
takes
up
the
offer
from
a
Bangkok-based
software
company.
In
Bangkok,
Rishika
gradually
realizes
that
she
is
caught
in
a
network
of
internet
criminals
and
is
being
used
as
a
hacker.
Her
passport
is
also
with
the
company,
so
she
can't
really
escape.
She
is
given
a
false
identity
of
a
criminal
and
she
has
nothing
and
no
one
on
her
side
to
prove
that
she
is
Rishika
Gandhi.
I
genuinely
feel
that
director
Sachin
P.
Karande
knows
his
job
well.
Be
it
Payback
or
Vikalp,
his
choice
of
the
subject
is
interesting
indeed.
But,
for
some
reason,
he's
letdown
by
his
writers.
In
fact,
the
first
half
of
Vikalp
has
several
captivating
moments
[if
one
overlooks
the
initial
sequences],
which
are
deftly
executed,
but
the
manner
in
which
the
screenplay
unravels
in
the
post-interval
portions,
it's
truly
heartbreaking.
A
captivating
idea
is
used
in
a
slapdash
fashion,
that's
where
the
fault
lies.
Another
reason
that
goes
against
the
film
is
its
tacky
making.
While
the
exteriors
have
been
shot
in
Bangkok,
the
interiors
have
been
filmed
at
tacky
locations.
Talking
of
songs
[music:
Dev
Sikdar
and
Vijay
Narayan],
the
film
has
a
decent
soundtrack,
but
the
two
songs
in
the
post-interval
portions
appear
forced
in
the
narrative.
Deepal
Shaw
gets
into
the
skin
of
the
character.
She's
awkward
in
a
few
sequences
initially,
but
gets
it
right
subsequently.
Akshay
Singh
does
quite
well,
although
his
role
isn't
well
developed.
Kranti
Prakash
Jha
is
a
revelation.
The
actor
surprises
you
with
a
wonderful
performance.
Chetan
Pandit
is
convincing.
Nirmal
Pandey
is
wasted.
Ditto
for
Alok
Nath.
Abhijeet
Lahiri
is
effective.
Pankaj
Berry
is
alright.
The
actress
enacting
the
role
of
Suzy
is
okay.
On
the
whole,
Vikalp
is
an
interesting
idea
gone
wrong.
Director:
Sachin
P.
Karande
Cast:
Deepal
Shaw,
Alok
Nath,
Chetan
Pandit,
Nirmal
Pandey,
Abhijeet
Lehiri,
Pankaj
Berry,
Akshay
Singh
Movie
Rating: