Tumsa Nahin Dekha

Director: Anurag Bose
Starring: Emraan Hashmi and Diya Mirza
Music: Nadeem-Shravan

What makes a film click? Is it a beautiful girl? Or, is it a big banner? Can a success be a guarantee for a future film too? 'Tumsa Nahin Dekha' brings in a big NO for all these questions.

Producer Mukesh Bhatt and Mahesh Bhatt's u-turn from sex-oriented films to family ones have gone haywire in this film. The sad part is that its director Anurag Bose who made debut.

with the Bhatt camp two films back and gave a major hit in 'Murder', is fighting a losing battle in this film. Bose has been detected with blood cancer and is undergoing treatment. He also did not participate in the post-production work and the effect is easily visible in the editing and transition shots.

Those who have seen earlier films of Bose, 'Saaya' and 'Murder' can make out the difference. But, its not only the making that falters in 'Tumsa Nahin Dekha', but almost each and every department including its music and cast is to blame.

The only bright spot is Emraan Hashmi who has come out as a winner in a role that required esteem and maturity. He has handled the role well.

The Bhatt camp may not be very happy with the outcome of the film but the tough competition that the film faces at the box office (four films have been released today including three Hindi and one English); it is going to be very difficult for the film to sustain.

'Tumsa Nahin Dekha' heavily relies on the oft-repeated rich boy-poor girl story and the subject has been treated on celluloid so many times. As soon as this is revealed, the viewer loses its interest.

Jia (Dia Mirza) meets Daksh (Emraan Hashmi) and the spark of love is ignited from the very first meeting. The love bug strikes both. However in the beginning Daksh does not know Jia's reality.

Jia is a strip teaser whereas Daksh is a billionaire by birth. But, even after Daksh comes to know about the real life of Jia, he does not retrace his step. The cache here is Daksh's family who wants to get him married to a girl of their choice.

This girl in question (Pooja Bharti) has to get married to Daksh otherwise he will not inherit the wealth. What will he do now? Will he sacrifice the prosperity for the love?

Or, will love take back seat at the face of reality? The climax of the film is unusual one and that is the only point where one sees master touch of its maker Mahesh Bhatt. But, by that time the film is almost through and the viewer has lost interest.

Director of the film, Anurag Bose, was hospitalized in the middle of its making. He may have thought of something else, but the product before the viewers is not very satisfactory.

Writer Subodh Chopra seems to be heavily inspired by foreign films but that may not be his fault because going by the filmography of Vishesh Films, the banner behind 'Tumsa Nahin Dekha', it was but natural.

'Tumsa Nahin Dekha' too has these glimpses. The Hollywood flicks inspire even the publicity designs. Subodh while dealing with a love story forgot the fact that in this kind of stories emotion plays a major role.

And if there are not enough twists in the drama, love stories fail to break even at the box office. The screenplay falters at many times. Dia and Emraan's characters may have been developed well but the supporting cast does not get support from the writer.

Veterans like Anupam Kher and Sharat Saxena have been wasted; the outcome would have been totally different had the writer taken care of developing these characters more logically.

Among actors Emraan Hashmi tops the chart. Despite his features he manages to walk the thin line. His character is such that any established actor would find it difficult to portray on screen, but he emerges winner just because of his confidence in himself and his abilities.

He emotes well, he looks in camera with full zeal and when it comes to dialogue delivery, he is just perfect. On the other hand, Dia Mirza in yet another attempt to gain some success has gone beyond limit.

The film may prove to be her last effort to click in Bollywood. Others don't get a chance to do a major bit; even a seasoned actress like Surekha Sikri has been put on sidelines.

Technically, the film lacks the quality that was once the main power of the Bhatt camp. Camera work in 'Tumsa Nahin Dekha' is very poor most of the time. The music by Nadeem Shravan is another let down.

It sounds repetitive and does not have even a single track that can stay in viewers' mind. This is despite that a music company like SAREGAMA has made its debut in the film production with the film.

On the whole, looking at the tough competition that it gets from the other films this Friday, there is little hope that it will be able to get a lifeline at the box office.