By:
Taran
Adarsh,
IndiaFM
Friday,
August
18,
2006
In
the
1970s
and
1980s,
Hrishikesh
Mukherjee
and
Basu
Chatterjee
made
films
that
were
realistic
and,
in
industry
terms
'neat-n-clean',
but
not
arthouse.
They
catered
to
the
popular
tastes,
relying
more
on
substance
than
star
appeal.
Even
if
the
films
featured
A-list
stars,
the
actors
were
cast
in
roles
that
were
devoid
of
star
mannerisms.
In
a
way,
Ahista
Ahista
also
belongs
to
the
Hrishi-da/Basu-da
genre.
The
storyline
is
simple,
the
situations
seem
straight
out
of
life
and
just
when
you
thought
that
the
film
would
charter
the
routine
path,
the
twist
in
the
story
takes
you
by
surprise.
But
there's
a
flip
side
too...
The
setting
and
also
the
content
of
the
film
--
even
though
well
made
and
laced
with
interesting
performances
--
is
ideally
suited
for
[select]
multiplexes
and
also
television/DVD
circuit.
In
today's
times,
when
the
economics
of
the
industry
has
undergone
a
drastic
change,
with
movie-going
experience
correlated
with
big-budget
ventures
mainly,
a
medium-budget
film
sans
glamour
would
find
it
difficult
to
float.
Ankush
[Abhay
Deol]
scrapes
a
living
by
acting
as
a
witness
in
the
marriage
registrar's
office
in
Delhi.
Megha
[Soha
Ali
Khan]
has
run
away
from
her
home
in
Nainital
to
marry
her
love
Dheeraj
[Shayan
Munshi].
But
Dheeraj
doesn't
turn
up
at
the
appointed
hour.
Ankush
helps
Megha
get
a
job
at
an
old
age
home
so
that
she
has
the
security
of
a
roof
over
her
head.
As
time
passes
by,
Megha
realizes
that
there's
more
to
life
than
her
boyfriend.
Simultaneously,
Ankush
realizes
that
the
Rs.
10,000
loan
he
had
taken
for
Megha's
sake
was
sitting
heavy
on
him.
He
ends
up
as
a
bank's
representative
who
opens
savings
accounts
at
a
commission.
Ankush
feels
that
he
has
changed
because
of
Megha
and
her
faith
in
him.
Everything
seems
to
be
falling
in
place
for
Ankush.
A
relationship
of
sorts
develops
between
the
two
and
Megha
decides
to
leave
her
past
and
Dheeraj
behind
and
embrace
the
future
with
Ankush.
At
this
point,
Dheeraj
returns.
He
is
persistent
in
his
search
for
Megha.
Ankush's
new-found
world
crumbles...
Ahista
Ahista
doesn't
give
an
impression
that
it's
directed
by
a
first-timer
[Shivam
Nair].
Shivam's
storytelling
is
simple
and
strikes
a
fine
balance
between
dramatic
and
light
moments.
A
number
of
sequences,
especially
between
Abhay
and
Soha,
are
sensitively
treated.
If
the
emotional
scenes
strike
a
chord
and
a
few
dramatic
portions
are
shot
with
flourish
[Abhay
slapping
Shakeel
Khan],
a
couple
of
light
moments
[Abhay
pretends
that
he
has
come
to
meet
a
senior
citizen
in
the
old
age
home
and
the
conversation
that
follows]
succeed
in
bringing
a
smile
on
your
face.
But
the
film
is
not
without
its
share
of
weaknesses.
First
and
foremost,
the
story
unravels
at
a
lethargic
pace.
It
gets
so
slow-paced
that
you
actually
start
feeling
restless
after
a
point.
Besides,
there's
no
scope
for
songs
in
the
narrative
and
the
ones
in
the
second
hour
look
completely
forced.
In
fact,
a
few
songs
can
easily
be
deleted
to
make
the
goings-on
crisper.
But
the
biggest
flaw
is
its
climax.
If
you're
a
true-blue
Bollywood
fan
who
wants
the
lead
pair
to
unite
and
lead
a
life
of
bliss,
you'd
be
disappointed
here.
When
Shayan
explains
his
point
of
view,
Soha
says
she's
torn
between
the
two
men
and
finds
herself
at
crossroads.
So
far,
so
good.
But
why
does
Soha
return
to
her
first
love
when
she
has
moved
on
in
life?
Does
that
mean
that
her
feelings
for
Abhay
were
phony
and
superficial?
Was
she
using
him
or
playing
with
his
emotions
all
through?
That
makes
Soha
appear
like
an
opportunist
and
that
is
a
glaring
defect
from
the
writing
point
of
view.
Himesh
Reshammiya's
music
is
soft
and
easy
on
the
ears,
but
the
songs
look
like
a
forced
ingredient.
Cinematography
[Prakash
Kutty]
is
superb.
It's
refreshing
to
watch
Delhi
on
the
big
screen
yet
again
[after
Rang
De
Basanti].
Abhay
Deol
is
a
complete
natural.
His
boy-next-door
looks
make
the
character
more
believable,
more
convincing.
In
minimal
makeup
and
sporting
a
simple
look
all
through,
Soha
catches
your
attention
once
again.
The
petite
actress
is
only
getting
better
with
every
film.
Shayan
Munshi
is
competent
in
a
small
role.
Shakeel
Khan,
as
Abhay's
Muslim
friend,
is
good.
Sohrab
Ardeshir
is
theatrical.
Kamini
Khanna
is
loud.
On
the
whole,
Ahista
Ahista
has
decent
merits.
But
lack
of
face-value
will
prove
to
be
a
stumbling
block,
from
the
box-office
point
of
view.
Its
fate
will
depend
on
a
strong
word
of
mouth
publicity,
which
might
help
in
select
multiplexes
only.