Ek Second... Jo Zindagi Badal De? - Review

Partho Ghosh has made some interesting movies in the past. 100 Days, Agni Sakshi and Dalaal are three films I recollect instantly. But his new film Ek Second... Jo Zindagi Badal De makes you squirm in your seat. Films like 100 Days and Agni Sakshi specifically have recall value only because they had the courage to narrate interesting stories on celluloid. Ek Second... Jo Zindagi Badal De has an interesting thought, but is saddled with a lousy screenplay, while Partho's execution of the material is archaic.

Inspired by the Gwyneth Paltrow starrer Sliding Doors (1998), Ek Second... Jo Zindagi Badal De just doesn't work!

Ek Second... Jo Zindagi Badal De tells the story of a couple - Moammar Rana, an author and Manisha Koirala, his beloved. Moammar is a casanova, who two times Manisha with Nikita Anand, who, we are told, was his first girlfriend. What happens when Manisha misses a train by a fraction of a second? Two stories - the first involving Moammar, Manisha and Nikita and the second involving Jackie, Manisha and Roza - run concurrently thereafter.

Nothing works in this film, except, to some extent, the musical score, which is also strictly okay. Despite experienced names, the performances of actors are below ordinary. Manisha has lost the charm. Jackie looks completely lost. Pakistani actor Moammar Rana, seen earlier in Dobara in a brief role, comes up with standard expressions. Nikita Anand exposes her curves uninhibitedly and is quite effective. Roza sizzles in the dance number, but has no acting talent. Suniel is awkward.

On the whole, Ek Second... Jo Zindagi Badal De is a poor show.

Director: Partho Ghosh
Cast: Jackie Shroff, Manisha Koirala, Nikita Anand, Muammar Rana, Rozza Catalano, Agastyaa Singh, Hanbir Malik