By:
Taran
Adarsh,
IndiaFM
Saturday,
June
09,
2007
Extra-marital
affairs
aren't
new
for
Hindi
moviegoers.
So
how
different
is
THE
TRAIN
from
films
that
have
hit
the
screens
in
the
past?
Well,
it
tackles
this
issue
and
garnishes
it
with
murder,
lies,
deceit,
treachery,
rape,
blackmail...
perfect
ingredients
for
a
thriller.
Inspired
by
the
Hollywood
film
DERAILED
[2005;
Clive
Owen,
Jennifer
Aniston],
the
film
also
bears
a
striking
resemblance
[coincidental]
to
BEZUBAAN
[Shashi
Kapoor,
Reena
Roy,
Naseeruddin
Shah],
about
a
blackmailer
making
the
life
of
a
married
person
miserable.
For
those
who
haven't
watch
DERAILED,
THE
TRAIN
is
a
novel
experience
for
sure.
The
Indianisation
of
the
plot
as
also
the
twists-n-turns
in
the
narrative
keep
the
film
going.
Besides,
the
film
is
embellished
with
lilting
music
[Mithoon],
which
acts
as
the
perfect
topping
on
the
pudding.
All
said,
THE
TRAIN
is
very
much
on
track
and
succeeds
in
reaching
its
destination
without
hiccups.
Vishal
[Emraan
Hashmi],
a
middle
class
man,
is
settled
in
Bangkok
with
his
wife,
Anjali
[Sayali
Bhagat]
and
their
5-year-old
daughter
Nikki.
Anjali
and
Vishal
are
trying
to
hold
on
to
their
deteriorating
marriage,
which
is
already
under
tremendous
pressure.
One
ordinary
day,
on
his
way
to
work,
Vishal
meets
Roma
[Geeta
Basra],
a
beautiful,
captivating
woman.
The
attraction
between
them
is
instantaneous.
As
Vishal
gets
to
know
her
better,
he
realizes
that
she
too
is
a
loner,
trapped
in
a
loveless
marriage.
The
attraction
between
them
reaches
a
peak
and
they
decide
to
give
in
to
an
adulterous
affair.
As
Anjali
starts
getting
suspicious
of
Vishal's
erratic
behavior,
his
romance
with
Roma
deepens.
He
is
torn
between
the
two
loves
of
his
life.
Just
when
Vishal
thought
life
could
not
get
more
complicated,
he
realizes
that
his
secret
liaison
is
known
to
someone,
an
unknown
elusive
enemy
who
is
bent
on
using
the
knowledge
to
destroy
all
three
lives.
Vishal
realizes
that
the
game
will
never
end
till
he
finds
a
permanent
solution
and
that
would
be
to
eliminate
the
enemy.
The
twists-n-turns
in
the
screenplay
keep
you
guessing
what
the
next
step
would
be.
Starting
out
with
an
extra-marital
affair,
the
story
changes
gears
and
shifts
to
blackmailing,
murder
and
eventually,
the
husband-wife
relationship.
The
screenplay
is
smartly
penned,
since
the
sequence
of
events
jump
from
one
situation
to
another
in
those
14
reels.
For
any
thriller
to
strike
a
chord,
it
ought
to
shock
the
viewer
when
the
veil
of
secrecy
is
lifted
and
the
face
that
comes
to
the
fore
does
catch
you
by
surprise.
Raksha
Mistry
and
Hasnain
Hyderabadwala's
direction
is
commendable.
In
fact,
the
duo
has
only
climbed
the
ladder
as
storytellers.
But
the
director
duo
shouldn't
have
stretched
the
blackmailer's
portions
to
such
an
extent.
That's
the
only
time
when
the
film
actually
stagnates.
Mithoon's
music
is
a
major
asset.
'Woh
Ajnabee'
is
a
superb
composition,
while
the
other
two
compositions
are
equally
nice.
Cinematography
[K.
Rajkumar]
does
justice
to
the
stunning
locales
of
Bangkok
and
Pattaya.
Emraan
Hashmi
is
very
much
in
form
this
time
around.
The
actor
carries
the
film
on
his
able
shoulders
and
contributes
enormously
in
making
the
on-screen
action
riveting.
Geeta
Basra
is
a
surprise.
The
girl
has
evolved
into
a
fine
actor.
She
looks
alluring
too.
Sayali
Bhagat
looks
pretty,
but
needs
to
polish
her
acting
skills.
Aseem
Merchant
does
very
well.
In
fact,
his
face
lends
freshness
to
the
character.
Rajat
Bedi
is
competent.
Suresh
Menon
provides
some
laughs.
Ananth
Mahadevan
is
good.
On
the
whole,
THE
TRAIN
is
an
entertaining
fare
that
lives
up
to
the
expectations.
At
the
box-office,
it
will
carry
the
passengers
[read
distributors]
to
safety
for
sure.
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