Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena (2005) User Reviews

It was a frame for frame copy of "Confidence" and "House of Games"

[chummaa · 5/10 · 20 March 2006]

It is not an adaptation; it was copied from two very good movies, House of Games & Confidence

House of Game, which revolves around how a group of Con artists con a Psychiatrist (The water pistol scene inclusive) and the over all premise is from the movie "Confidence" by James Foley. No imagination has been wasted in directing or writing screen play for this movie.

It almost appears like the director and screen play writer, well why stop there include light set up, camera angles, make up, costumes every one has decided to preserve their creativity (if any) for future I guess.

The cast has done a below average job when compared to the original cast. However, Feroz Khan was a breath of fresh air and has done an excellent job.

A moderately slick thriller!

[nomanali77 · 6/10 · 18 November 2005]

Suparn Verma is at it again after Qayamat, Janasheen, Zameen and Karam. This time he's done the screenplay as well as the direction and the results aren't too bad.

Arjun, a conman, messes with the wrong guy, Sikandar, on one of his jobs and in return has to face the death of his best friend as well as having to pay back the duped money, with interest (Rs. 400,000 in total). The problem: He's spent all the money. So he gangs up with 2 other friends, Jack and Rohit, along with Kaif (who is Sikandar's watch-dog, played by the brilliant Kay Kay Menon) and they have to pull a heist where they can recover the money in 10 days. Enter Natasha, a behavioral psychiatrist who wants to do a research study on the everyday life of Arjun. She joins forces with him and unfortunately gets deeply involved with the crime. The result: the heist is a success, but not how you would expect it.

Anyways, Sikandar is a little too impressed and blackmails them into another job, a bigger one this time, and it involves stealing from the regional underworld kingpin, Jahangir Khan (Feroz Khan, who else??). So a plan has to be schemed up to steal Rs. 25 Crores from Jahangir Khan. Now it gets a bit complicated, because a few characters are suddenly put into play together, as well as the introduction of Sharad Kapoor who plays a CBI officer on the hunt for Arjun.

From then on, the film becomes a little hard to keep up with because the characters become interspersed within the multiple stories and it all boils down to a not-so-explosive end.

A little about the cast: Fardeen has done a decent job, not having been given too much dramatics. He's had to just look cool and deliver straight-faced dialog. Koena Mitra does nothing much except confuse us with her personality and wear lingerie-like clothes in public. The by now infamous steamy song is a bit too steamy for family viewing. Gulshan Grover: nice and evil, the usual fare. Feroz Khan: ha ha.. u know Feroz Khan... he's still looking lecherously at woman and guessing the brand of perfume they're wearing while he runs his many business ventures. Mukul Dev, Kay Kay Menon and Rohit Roy are good in their roles. Being TV artists they have learnt to be patient and do justice to whatever roles come their way.

The film packs too many songs which sometimes break the flow, and I think almost every song is a remake of a popular Hip-Hop/R&B number from recent times. As far as the story goes, be prepared to see "inspiration" from Hollywood flicks like "Matchstick Men" and Confidence". Still, "Ek Khiladi Ek Hasina" is one of the better attempts at the currently popular crime thriller genre.

Tries to be different

[amolmd · 7/10 · 25 November 2005]

Although it could be stripped down "Matchstick Men", Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena adds few twists & turns of its own and director Suparn Varma debuts as a promising new director on bollywood horizon. I was following this 'Matchstick Men' and thought that the movie was going to end, but actually had intermission & then I realized that it was Hindi version! The 'new' plot started after that!!! I question the acting skills of lead actors Fardeen & Koena whereas all the other characters have done real efforts to make the movie more engaging. Kay Kay is simply the best of bunch. Feroz Khan as Jehangir is having some split moments of acting, doesn't exactly fit in the movie but can do as a cameo. It felt like stretched in the end & I almost had given up before I saw the ending which might recover some of the lost sense and saves the film on story front. All in all a nice effort. It definitely rises above the mass of bollywood love stories.

save yourself - unless you like torture

[shariqq · 3/10 · 22 February 2006]

What really is the problem with Bollywood? Easy money, too many movies. Since Bollywood became recognized as an Industry, it has become a lot more easier for people to produce movies. This brings a lot more people to the director's chair. This could and should have been a good thing. But unfortunately, the equation stayed: only 2 out of every 10 mainstream movies is actually worth spending almost 3hrs on. With a lot more quantity, we see a lot more crap (mostly easy rip-offs) and a lot more wannabes. Do I sound deluded by Bollywood again? It's because Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena is a rip-off of Confidence *ing Edward Burns, Rachel Weisz, Dustin Hoffman & Paul Giamatti.

Fardeen Khan as Arjun Verma is a con-artist (how many have we seen lately? Is it really that easy to make money? But that's a debate for another day/time). He gets hood-winked into pulling an heist to save his own life after his friend loses his (i.e. the friend's own) life after they (Hero+friend) successfully pull off a cheap heist. This is followed by another heist, and then a clinically-insane (as per Dr. Shariq)psychiatrist (Koena Mitra) turns up in one of those heists and then he (Fardeen Khan) has to double-cross someone and add a little coriander. Now cook for 27 minutes at 220C before garnishing with his friends & enemies & dhobiwallas - Mukul Dev, Kay Kay Menon, Gulshan Grover, and some *always friends* types. Serve with a hint of Feroz Khan for an after taste.

Yes, the movie is a badly cooked dinner. A Single dish that comprises the starter, the neutralizer, the main-course & the dessert. Actually, the coffee too. Suparn Verma, the director & writer of this movie tries hard, and fails spectacularly. (Actually, when it is a copy, what do *writers* actually write?). But no - he does do well in very few scenes scattered through out, a little denser in the beginning portions, and scarce onwards. But they hardly make up for the entirely passable movie that he has made. Fardeen Khan talks to the almost non-existent audience throughout the movie. His commitment to the narration meant he forgot to act. But I won't be naive enough to blame him - coz Kay Kay Menon, the actor of actors, is also lost. He's looking to play a character that's so two-dimensional, he might just have played a water-bottle better instead. For those interested, Feroz Khan shows his style in a walk-through role.

The point of this review is to tell you that if you have seen the original, save yourself - unless you like torture. If you haven't seen the original, you just may like it: If you don't realize that while Arjun Verma pulls off a fast one on his victims, YOU are the victim.

Rated: 1.5/5

Confidence and House of Games mixed

[silvan-desouza · 3/10 · 4 March 2014]

Bollywood and con artists go a long way, EK KHILADI EK HASEENA was released months after CHOCOLATE. The film is a mix of CONFIDENCE and HOUSE OF GAMES. But the mix leaves a lot of loopholes in the end The film starts well, Rohit Roy and FK scenes are fun, after his demise things are well handled too but the film tries to be too smart in the end by changing the events(ala Sixth Sense) which makes no sense and leaves loopholes

Direction is decent Music is good, the songs are shot like international songs and are good Jhoom, Saara Jahaan and all songs are good

Fardeen Khan has the required style for the role and plays his part well Koena Mitra is awful, KK Menon is the best, Mukul Dev and Sharad Kapoor are okay,Gulshan Grover is terrific, Feroz Khan has a brief role and is as usual, Rohit Roy is fun rest are okay

Excellent!Audacious! Stylish as hell

[easytorememberus · 10/10 · 26 February 2006]

I was simply blown by the opening scene itself, which starts in reverse. Each frame was simply poetry and also an indicator that the director Suparn Verma is setting up the audiences for a ride. I'm a fan of film noir something missing in Indian cinema for a long long time. But Suparn Verma's debut film is a landmark in its style and plotting. In fact this film was recommended to me by a group of filmmakers and its already become a cult film. Much ahead of its times in the execution and knowing that was it was made for a ridiculously low budget, hats off. The story has been inspired by a few con films, but this film is about the execution. A must see in my book. This is one of those films that will garner appreciation over time as new and younger viewers keep watching it and the word of mouth keeps growing

Awful!

[cutiepie_nab · 1/10 · 21 January 2006]

I really wish I could think of something constructive to say about this film, but absolutely nothing comes to mind, and that's not because it's a remake of a Hollywood film, there is nothing wrong with a well-produced remake i.e Kasoor. Likewise, I have nothing against (or for) any of the actors/actresses in this film or the producer. Watched this with an open-mind with my mum and brother. Mum got up and left the room after half an hour, brother fell asleep halfway through and I was left waiting for this film to pick up. But it didn't. The humour was terrible - think the kind of jokes used three decades ago in Hindi films (example; one of the characters whistles every time he tries to talk and that is repeated throughout the film and that's supposed to be funny! The other says 'hello' pronouncing it 'hay-lo' and this is used for half the film and supposed to draw laughter every time. P-lease!) Some jokes were just downright offensive. The plot was simple enough to follow but felt like it was made up as the film went along. Probably the only saving grace is the ending - 3 minutes that actually gripped the viewer, but to be honest it was too little too late. This could have been a really good film had the rest of the film been made with the same level of creativity. As a bonus, Britney Spears' 'Stronger' video and Christina Aguliera's 'Dirrty' video are ripped-off for two of the songs in the film. You might just notice them if you manage to stay awake that long! If you are a fan of 'Jurm', 'Kasoor', 'Raaz', 'Yakeen' or any other decent Hollywood remake, stay clear of this. It does not entertain, let alone hold your attention. Be warned!

Great Watch

[indigshai-1 · 9/10 · 4 December 2005]

I think this is a great Hindi movie I have watched after a long time. Of course this is a great Bollywood Masala. I hope people remember what Bollywood is about and forget about comparing it to Hollywood. In comparison to other Hindi movies' of the year, this is definitely on the top. Fardeen acting is great, Kay Kay really shows what he is all about. He has really done well. Of course Feroz Khan is at his best as he is always. Even though he shows visible age, the dialogue delivery is as ferocious as always. I wish he had a bigger part in the movie. The romance in the movie is about right and where it should be. The movie has really been edited well. The pace of the movie is about what it should be. I usually, will finish a 2Hr 30m movie in 1Hr, FF all songs, unnecessary scenes and mocked fights. But I really enjoyed all bits of this flick. I really think that Fardeen has a making of a great actor if he is cast in these sophisticated roles.

Copy of movie Confidence (2003)

[zshanf · 1/10 · 10 January 2011]

They have the writer and Director listed as Suparn Verma; he should be ashamed of himself for calling himself a writer. This entire movie was copied from another English film. I was so disgusted by it that I had to watch the whole thing to see what else they had copied. Acting was bad and dialogues sounded forced mainly because most had been translated from English to Hindi. For anyone wanting to watch this movie, I would say save your money and time and rent Confidence instead. This is another pathetic attempt by COPYWOOD, Hindi Cinema produces quite a bit garbage movies but at the same time they also have great movies. I say why not be original and produce your own work then copying someone else's work.

Such a bad movie

[slipstar28 · 3/10 · 16 January 2006]

Fardeen Khan's overacting + Koena Mitra's lack of emotion plus the factor that 80% of this movie is based on American movies makes this a very uncomfortable movie to watch. Even in the end when all the twists and turns are untied, the viewer really does not get a good grasp of what they were watching for the past two hours. It is so obvious that Koena Mitra was hired just for her looks. I would not even be surprised to hear that the producers hired her even before they heared her talk. Her monotonous voice made me physically ill whenever she was talking. From start to finish, she has the same tone of voice, no change or variation. What the hell did the producers think, throw in a couple of middle aged man, dress them up so that they look hip. Give them KOOOL hair cuts and throw in a beautiful girl just to get the sex appeal, not considering if she can act or not, mix this all together with some techno music and, you'll have a hit?????? This movie should have been never created.

Lack of creativity

[sunehpunjab · 1/10 · 17 December 2005]

In this film, Suparn Verma shows that he is good for copying copying copying. In the first half, he chooses to use the script of "Matchstick Men". When he grows weary of this, he decides to use that of Confidence, the 2003 film written by Doug Jung.

This is not to say that all the acting in the film was bad. Feroz Khan once again proves his ability to act while his son, Fardeen, shows that he is truly a chip off the old block.

Beyond this, the other main characters were par at best. The plot of the movie, though copied, is good and will have you guessing until the end. Next time, hopefully Verma will write something more original.

Sleek

[abhi862000 · 8/10 · 7 January 2007]

Finally a movie which is as sleek as its title, Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena is surely a Bollywood step ahead. Story is about a conman Arjun who is the man with plan and who accidentally cons a don for which he pays a big price of losing his pal and partner Rohit.Now the dons after him for the money.He makes a gang of his own and then meets Natasha whom he cons for the money and Natasha in turn traps him in the hands of the don to con Jahangir, the don's rival.Now How they decide/plan to con Jahangir and also the don off their backs is all the movie about. Fardeen could have been better,Koena, Kay-Kay and Feroz Khan stand out in their streamlined characters and the music by Pritam is also Buzzing. This is definitely worth a watch and go for it!!!!

Too stylish for its own good! That and it's a copy of a Hollywood film!

[Sherazade · 8/10 · 26 March 2006]

The Maverick and The Beautiful, as the title loosely translates, 'Ek Khiladi, Ek Haseena' is Bollywood's remake of the Rachel Weisz sleeper hit 'Confidence.' Koena Mitra appears here in the sexy vamp role immortalised in the Hollywood version by Weisz and the directors and stylists do there best to make Mitra stand up to par, and that she does to the best of her ability. Catchy song numbers as well as dragged out scenes and dialogue make the film a true Bollywood one by letting it unnecessarily spill over the two hour mark, and with that you just have to wonder what they were hoping to accomplish that Confidence and its stellar cast didn't already do? The film suffers from being too urban, too ahead of itself, too flashy, too sexy, too shiny in spite of being a dark thriller, too prim for its own good. Con artists and swindlers needn't over do it to achieve their goal, the director (who had a perfect 10 in his clutch) let it slip by overdoing the glitz and things. Nevertheless, Koena Mitra and Fardeen Khan don't fail to delivery the much needed sizzle for this type of film. Ignore Mitra's Britney Spears-ish number that the film opens to, there's much more to be enjoyed inside!

Excellent Entertaining Movie

[George-67 · 9/10 · 1 January 2006]

Hi Everyone, Some commentators have written that the movie is a copy of two Hollywood movies, most Bollywood movies are inspired by Hollywood and the songs are also often inspired without giving due credit.

The plot is is quiet original for Bollywood, a Con man (Arjun) played by Fardeen has to steal money for a gangster (sikander) from another big shot banker/money launderer/business man (Jehangir Khan). I found the songs to be great as well.

I enjoyed the movie because I had not seen the Hollywood movies the plot was inspired from. There is a lot of action and suspense. A very entertaining movie. Fardeen Khan plays his role really well and is well supported by the other cast. I found the main actress to be less glamorous, used to seeing the likes of Preity Zinta, BiPasha Basu and Ashwariya Rai. I guess I did not find her to be outstandingly "haseena" beautiful for the role.

If you have not seen the Hollywood movies its allegedly inspired from and you like thrillers à la Bollywood with some good songs then I recommend you watch it or rent it. A good movie to watch on a rainy weekend.

Bye, Jawad

I reached to this movie just because of songs

[dkgupta493 · 10/10 · 29 September 2022]

What a movie make you to watch after 17 years so here I come to watch this movie in 2022 I just heard the song Jal Jal Ke Dhuan songs by Sonu Nigam. After the playlist I got some other good song by Sukhvinder Singh and other Singhs Aala Song play Sarejaha par ishq hai jhoota all the songs or blockbuster songs but the sad reality is these are composed by FIFA who cannot get credit for him because every song was coffee or inspired by some other song. This movie even not an original movie was copied by confidence in house of of games. So I was this movie after 17 years and I enjoyed it. That's why I am getting turn off the phone right now movies don't have this kind of large storytelling many days in one first one is better but this I can see I don't know why Pritish Nandy communication is not what is one more movie right now.