Bas Ek Pal (2006) User Reviews

Bas Ek Pal

[manoj-aryan · 5/10 · 28 November 2006]

After running a good trailer and Aatif's intense "Tere Bin" I was kinda curious about Bas Ek Pal. It genuinely sounded like movie which will take a fine look at relationships. This is second film by director Onir whose last 'My Brother Nikhil' was critically acclaimed. While promoting this film I still remember Urmila saying "what I feel is best of this movie is even if characters are complex, situations are complex –but characters are written with clarity", after walking out of the hall I could only give a sarcastic smile to this statement. Only thing I like in this is its central twist which I suspected coming but forgot as time passed, some of its music and one of the relationships that happens after interval. That's the reason two and half stars are given.

We get to know Nikhil (Suri) is back from US to India after five years bumped into Urmila in a disc where she helps him to get into there. They like each other and start to play. Urmila pretends to be hard to get and Suri continue to peruse her. Rahul (Jimmy) and Nikhil are friends, Rahul is friend with Steve who is on down slope of his marriage with Ira(Juhi). Then an incident takes place which turns everything up side down. What happens after that is better left for interested viewers to go and figure out.

Bas EK Pal does wander in the relationship pitfalls - insecurity, paranoia, misunderstandings, jealousy, lust but it would have been effective if it's supported by a strong plot rather than a fate play. Lots of drama goes on screen but it fails to make us care for what is happening on screen. There are many ridiculous scenes when Nikhil only looks like psycho obsessive lover despite a man with so much of bad luck. He is supposed to be lead character but nothing we feel about him. And same is the story for other characters. We never feel for them. They are like born with worst luck in the world, tangled in such complex situation but still no. Why Nikhil is so deeply in love with her we never know. Is love at first sight is not enough to justify such a difficult subject? No. For other it will be revealing too much so I stop here.

Only thing it manages it way up is one of the relationships. Its central twist is good one and justifies its fate plot after first half. Aatif's 'Tere bin' is there when credits are rolling but audience has suffered enough and is too late till then.

When it comes to performances in such movies with such a subject - actors get chance to show what they are capable of but alas! Not even one of five has en-cashed this opportunity. Suri is capable actor and he has shown that in Zankaar Beats but here he is deadpan. Juhi, Jimmy and Rehmaan are OK. And Urmila- God, actress of her caliber who was brilliant in her last outings like Ek Haseena Thi (for me her best so far. Others are Rangeela and Kaun?) and Pinjar is a huge let down. She has made comeback after such a long break but looks like has caught rust.

Sorry to say Mr. Onir, like your characters bad luck for you and for us this time.

Not at all as good as the song Tere Bin.

[riddhimaakaritu · 5/10 · 29 May 2020]

Watched it for 'Tere Bin' song, acting is good but script is too weak.

A fake of a movie - avoid if you can

[bibban · 1/10 · 6 December 2007]

An overwrought movie relying almost entirely upon an implausible plot. And before people go on celebrating this movie's "brave" darkness.. watch for the sequence of clichés: alcoholic, abusive husband who suspects wife of having affairs; intelligent and sincere wife who feels too bad to leave him (wtf?); love at first sight etc. etc. Nauseating.

The characters have little depth, and when they experience emotions it's either jealousy/guilt, or it's unyielding love/sheer cunning/unthinking evil.. usually in predictable sequences. What ridiculous emotional dichotomies.

Weak performances all around, and Juhi Chawla is completely wasted in this movie. So is Sanjay Suri. Both were so promising in Onir's far superior "My Brother Nikhil." Here they stumble around with weakly written characters. Urmila Matondkar is predictably annoying. Jimmy Shergill was kind of okay in his brief romance scenes with his first love interest in the movie, but quickly got much worse in the rest of the movie.

Watch ONLY if nothing else is available

[charu-iit · 4/10 · 16 September 2006]

OKay first of all, I was really surprised to GET tickets for this movie the day it released. On top of that , I was wondering HOW only the top 3 rows were full and the rest of the theatre EMpty! I mean, does word spread so fast about the movie?? I don't think I've ever seen such a vague story line. Seemed like even the director/screenplay writer had no clue where he wanted to take the audience.And yes, unlike some other fine directors (Lage Raho Munnabhai for eg), this dude seems to take the audience to have IQs of less than 10.

Story is something like this.A,B,C,D and E are the main players. A sees B in a Discotheque and falls for her. C is friend from childhood days. D is C's Friend and E is D's wife. So an "accident" happens and A shoots C and C is crippled for life.A gets to spend 3 harrowing years in the jail. All the while A lives Solely with B's memories in his heart. Why? I cannot fathom the reason how he can fall in love sooo deeply with one e has met but twice! Meanwhile C is all set to marry B, who probably "loves" me out of pity since she holds herself partly responsible.D is an alcoholic and a wife beater and does not allow E to leave.E meanwhile has had an affair with C. D kills everyone around him including himiself. Only C & B remain in the end.Okay too confusing isn't it? Welcome to BAS EK PAL

It's like "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna" – Except It Has A Brain!!

[akbarnali · 9/10 · 25 November 2006]

In mid-August, many an unknowing filmi buff was psychologically impaled in the cinema halls during screenings of Karan Johar's hopelessly awful "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna" which purported to be a mature examination of extra-marital affairs. It was, of course, nothing of the sort, and despite raking in the moolah, it has found little favor with fans or critics.

About a month later, a comparatively small budget film, Onir's "Bas Ek Pal" (reminiscent of experimental European cinema), released, dealing with a similar theme but without any of the reigning puerility and adolescent conventionality which made Johar's film so utterly absurd. Instead, Onir infuses his film with a complex morality and a matrix of thoroughly realistic characters where there are no heroes and no villains, no glamorized damsels and no bitchy mistresses. It is also impossible to say who is opposite whom- there are no "pairs" as one is universally accustomed to seeing in Indian films. A brief recap of the premise will explain why: The story begins with the reunion of two friends, Nikhil (Sanjay Suri) and Rahul (Jimmy Shergill). Nikhil becomes acquainted with Steve (Rehaan Engineer), a friend of Rahul's who is also an abusive alcoholic. Steve is married to Ira Malhotra, a former beauty queen turned humanitarian (Juhi Chawla) who has suffered a miscarriage, physical battery, and a failed marriage. Nikhil becomes infatuated with a young engineer named Anamika (Urmila Matondkar) who—unfortunately for him—is attached to a trust fund named Rehan. At their second meeting, Nikhil and Rehan scuffle over Anamika, and in the midst of their battle Rahul is shot, resulting in paralysis. Nikhil faces prison for three years, which actually turns out to be the least of his troubles. During those three years Anamika becomes romantically linked with Rahul, who it turns out had a long-standing affair with Ira who was tired of her pathetic husband's emotional and physical torture. Ira helps free Nikhil, whom Steve suspects of having an affair with his wife. Rahul also accuses Anamika of rekindling her "affair" with Nikhil. Ira compels Anamika toward Nikhil in her final attempt at escape. Confused? You should be, because (like real life) it's complex and disturbing, and there are no designer outfits or grandiose dance numbers to numb the pain of the tragedy which unfolds around these five lives. Betrayal turns to Obsession, Helplessness to Hopelessness, and Attraction to Rape in this brilliantly constructed and acted film.

Though the film's title purports it to be about how one incident transforms the lives of all those involved, its final implications are of much more ubiquitous themes: it is basically a filmed series of unending horrors and disappointments which shows life in its most bitter and grotesque form. There is also a shocking twist at the end which makes the film really work. It is a true "Greek" tragedy, which should give you little doubt as to how it ends, but there is more than general catastrophe: there is murder, suicide, betrayal, abuse, deceit, infidelity, jealousy, self-hatred, enmity, violence and whole host of depravities which are too many to be named here. On top of it all, there's a rape which victimizes neither Ira nor Anamika, but one of the male leads. Oh, and the film also takes time to explore the realities of forced oral sex. Suffice is to say, treacly "Hum Aapke Hain Kaun," this film ain't.

Onir's tactfully written screenplay aside, the real mainstay of the film is its performances turned in by a fine cadre of actors led by the peerless Juhi Chawla. She is simply outstanding in a role which makes one sit up and notice the currents of strength and despair in Ira which Juhi expertly etches in Ira's eyes and movements. This is not a character one expects to find in Juhi Chawla's repertoire: Ira is bold, self-loathing, and desperate for affection, which drives her into an affair with Rahul which is both emotionally and sexually satisfying. And yes, she does something truly shocking at the end. But Ira is also something of a mystery whose acquaintance with happiness proves too short. Anamika, conversely, is easy to read, though her lucidity does not translate to simplicity. Matondkar portrays her as the eternal romantic, albeit a somewhat helpless one who frequently cannot tolerate her own circumstances. Less fiery and more vulnerable than her usual characters, Matondkar plays her flawlessly as a little girl with adult ambitions. Love, Success, and Self-Actualization are her goals, but she becomes ensnared in a bizarre and almost inexplicable love for Nikhil. One expects Nikhil to be the centerpiece of the film, but he turns out to be much more of a cipher than the others. Suri is always at the center of Onir's films, but in this collaboration he gets a more supportive role which he carries effortlessly, by turns suave, angry, and desperate. Jimmy Shergill is the surprise packet of the film: one expects great performances from Juhi Chawla and Urmila Matondkar, but the Shergill proves he can match their talents with a brooding and intense portrayal of Rahul. In many ways, he is the character at the center of the film. Rehaan Engineer is somewhat of a mixed bag- his delivery teeters between odd and satisfactory, the main problem being his menace is somewhat flat and benign. In some scenes, particularly those with Juhi, his performance clashes with the finesse of the others.

Unfortunately, films which forgo formula and embrace innovation are too often ignored by the indiscriminate masses who would rather see Shah Rukh Khan in DDLJ Part VII (or whichever configuration we're on now) so don't be surprised by the many reviewers who have no idea how to react to it. It will join the league of thoughtful cinema rendered obscure by the very fact that it makes demands on its audience instead of bowing to commercial pressures. "Bas Ek Pal" holds the mirror up to Life and dares to show us that the reflection is sometimes purely shattered.

Bizarre soap opera

[AishFan · 3/10 · 16 December 2006]

This movie is totally screwed up. The plot is as ridiculous as a soap opera. Everyone gets involved with everyone. While Sanjay Suri's character is shown to be very noble, which he is, I must add that he is by far the stupidest of them all. You don't just take a gun and keep on holding it in your hand in a crowd. He should've gotten the hint that Urmila doesn't want to dance with him after refusing like 10 times. As if he didn't learn his lesson by spending 3 years in jail, he keeps on standing right in front of a gun pointed at him by a person whom he knows wouldn't hesitate to shoot him. The ending is just ridiculous. Seems like Shakespeare where everyone is just killing themselves. The movie doesn't seem too original either--like a combination of a bunch of other movies. What irks me the most is how superficial all of the relationships/affairs are in this film. Sanjay Suri sees a hot girl a couple of times and falls "deeply in love" with her to the point of being able to give up his life. Everyone gave a good performance, but Urmila was a bit over-the-top at times. No worries; this flick won't make a dent in her career with fabulous performances in movies like Bhoot and Pinjar. Songs were great with "Tere Bin" definitely the best. Too bad it was just used for the end credits. The number in the nightclub was also good. One thing, however, that was kind of nice about this movie was that it shows you how shocking and uncontrollable life can be at times, how the people you trust most can backstab you and play vile games, and how we are sometimes helpless when destiny takes control.

Another Great Movie with Urmila

[uncle_g1234 · 9/10 · 14 November 2006]

As has happened so often before, the Indian reaction to this movie doesn't predict my reaction at all. I have to say that Urmila Matondkar makes the most interesting movies! Banaras, Bas Ek Pal, Main Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara, Ek Hasina Thi, Tehzeeb. There is a MINUTE number of artists in the India movie trade who can produce on that level over and over. But in this movie, she is matched with a fine cast. I'm not a great Jimmy Shergill fan, but I gotta say that drop him down with Urmila, Juhi, and Sanjay Suri, and he blends into that environment. And when that happens, he's a different guy.

This is a very mixed up but realistic plot about a guy who falls in love with a girl he runs into when he goes out for a good time with his buddy. But he has no idea just what a tangled mess he's stepping into (sorta like Bush in Iraq!) Soon he finds himself charged with attempted murder, caged with the worst scum of Mumbai, his life in tatters. I think this is also one of the SCARIEST movies I've seen because something like this could happen to any of us. It is really the grace of God that saves us, nothing else.

Juhi of course is pure gold. If its possible to be in love with a complete stranger you only see on the screen, them I'm in love with her. I know if I met her in real life, I'd be useless to the world because I'd be able to think of nothing but her.

What I really liked in this movie was the quiet dialogue with mood-setting music in the background. It is so rare in Indian movies, but I hardly wanted to breathe, the mood seemed so fragile.

Anyway, the critics who badmouth this movie are TOTALLY wrong. The fans who shunned it are TOTALLY wrong. This is a 9/10 if there ever was one.

But if your idea of a good movie is Krish or Rang De Basanti, don't see this. You won't like it.

A must see masterpiece that keeps you thinking!!!

[Pinduchitti · 10/10 · 29 October 2006]

Among all movies this year, I was definitely looking forward to this one most. I wasn't let down. The movie is like a breath of fresh air. I don't think Bollywood has ever attempted to make such a movie with a dark theme and dark characters. The only other movie that is as dark is 'The Film'. Bas Ek Pal deals with with compassion, anger, love, hate, lust and jealousy. The characters are very human and you see that each of their decision has a drastic effect on what's coming next. The film also follows a steady pace and keeps you wondering what's gonna happen next. Once the movie ends, it stays in your mind!!! The movie is loosely based on Pedro Almodovar's Carne Tremula. Almodovar based his movie on Ruth Rendell's original novel 'Live Flesh'. I read the book and saw the movie and except for a few similarities, i found them both to be very different. And what makes Bas Ek Pal different is that it wasn't a carbon copy of either. It took some scenes from both the movie and the book. For example, the rape scene wasn't in the movie but it was in the book.

The movie can also be said to be a character sketch. Sanjay Suri, Juhi Chawla, Urmila Matondkar and Jimmy Shergill all play challenging roles. You've never seen them like this. You can identify with all the characters.

The cast and crew are all worthy of awards but again, Bollywood awards mostly go to the non-deserving.

This is probably Juhi's most challenging role to date and she played it completely natural. The character has several layers and only a brilliant actress like Juhi could do justice to this part.

Urmila's character was also one that required a fantastic actress and she did full justice to that role. I highly doubt whether anyone could have done better.

As for Jimmy Shergill and Sanjay Suri, they are becoming more versatile with each film. Both have done a great job and take big strides as actors maturing with every movie.

Music is definitely a double plus! They're still pleasant to hear and add to the situation in the film.

Onir's a remarkable director. He chose a bold theme and he chose the best actors (not the biggest stars) which makes this movie worth a watch. Whether you'll like it or not, I'd definitely say watching it would be worth your time.

I don't see why this movie was a flop. Well, bollywood does have difficulty recognizing good movies otherwise why would crap like Krishh and KANK be superhits? This film should win several awards, especially best director, best music and best performances!

Bright gem but does it stand up to close scrutiny?

[HeadleyLamarr · 8/10 · 13 May 2007]

Bas Ek Pal is a film I was waiting to savor. I had heard so much about the excellence of this movie, about Onir's outstanding direction, about the wonderful cast. This was clearly a standout movie for the year 2006. Why? For so many reasons really.. Let me enumerate...

1. The movie started out really well, there was an atmosphere of impending doom throughout the film that was very well done. I felt like I was inside a Rohinton Mistry novel.

2. Some of the characters were ordinary and well etched.

3. The story twisted and turned and kept me engaged throughout.

4. The music was quite good (though the whole package not as powerful as the music in Woh Lamhe).

5. The movie boasted of some excellent performances.

A little plot outline:

Nikhil Kapoor (Sanjay Suri) goes to a night club, meets and it instantly captivated by Anamika (Urmila Matondkar). She is being elusive but is attracted to him. Nikhil's best friend Rahul (Jimmy Shergill) has a friend Steve (Rehaan Engineer) who is embroiled in marital strife with his wife Ira (Juhi Chawla). One day Rahul and Steve accompany Nikhil to the night club one day and there he meets Aanmika again, gets into a fight with her escort, and with the escort's gun accidentally shoots Rahul. That lands him up in jail where he suffers through much beating and abuse of the imaginable and unimaginable type. Eventually Ira works on his case and gets him bail. He is trying to figure out why his friends abandoned him and refuse to see him, Anamika is hooked up with the paraplegic Rahul, and Ira and Steve are still going at each other. One finds out that he was set up in the night club. That was apparent in the beginning itself, but now the details come out and the rest of the story is a fantastical resolution of the tangle everyone is embroiled in.

So what does one see on close scrutiny?

That Ira is too scared to leave her abusive husband, but not too scared to have an affair. After she finds out he knows about the affair, she is still able to rescue the man who was victimized by her husband, but is still unable to find the courage to leave the husband. He goes away for weeks on end when she has her affair but she does not leave him during these prolonged absences, instead she chooses a time when he is in town to finally muster up some courage. You learn that it is possible to plan a shooting using a gun carried by a person unknown to the planner. That a person who has an MBA from a US university and lived with his parents there, upon relocation does not have enough money to afford top notch legal representation. And so on and so forth. So yes, the plot is riddled with many such inconsistencies, and it is not about relationships at all. Ira is an abused spouse and yet lives with her abuser - that makes her an enabler but that aspect is never explored. Hers is the worst fleshed out character. Anamika is a very fickle frivolous person and do such people exist? Steve is an abuser and a real person. Rahul is a strange mix of victim, savior and avenger. Nikhil is the character that you sympathize with the most - he is not the protagonist, but a victim, the fulcrum around whom the story revolves, but he is a passive participant for the most part.

The performances:

Juhi is outstanding. What a way to re-emerge as a mature actress of note. She takes an ill drawn character and manages to infuse it with life and reality. She has the most scope for histrionics and yet never resorts to that - instead she is most understated and has maximum impact.

Urmila - well, I know I will get flak from her legion of fans but in the first part she is convincing as the peppy frivolous girl. Then the movie turns serious and Urmila loses it - she yells, sobs, screams and generally over-performs at every turn. In all fairness to Urmila - it is Juhi's underplayed acting that makes Urmila's look overdone, but there it is.

Sanjay Suri is quite good - I liked the character, and the way he performed it. He showed obsession, despair, terror and self-disgust with equal ease.

Jimmy Shergill was good. I saw a decent role competently done - nothing outstanding, nothing jarred.

Rehaan Engineer was okay - sort of easy to play bad man role.

About the direction.. I had heard so much about Onir and I think this was a very good effort. But this was by no means a flawless film. The story of ordinary characters stuck in some fantastical scenario was a problem for me. And the last 10 minutes were quite atrocious IMO. By the end I wanted the two remaining people to pick up the gun and BAM BAM! The setup was so mundane - it was all driven by jealousy? How fantastic is that! The bits in jail were extremely powerful. BTW guys just because it was a male being raped does not make it any outstanding act of bravery on the director's part. These things do happen, just as much as women getting raped and abused in custody - so what is the big deal here? Was Madhuri Dixit not shown to suffer through such and worse in Anjaam?

In the end I liked Bas Ek Pal for its unusual story, but I felt it fell short of the mark in many ways and failed to achieve greatness. Of all the performances Juhi was simply awesome - she made me give the film 8 stars.

Nice movie for a change

[sharat_com · 9/10 · 26 October 2006]

I have seen many a movies and have only seldolmly come across such a vague storyline....twist and turn like Chinese noodles....The good part of the movie is that I cant describe it to be slow or fast....it has everything.The character selection is perfect. Juhi Chawla as of course done the role of Rita very well. What surprised me however was the suttleness of all the characters and instances where how you would think that you would react in such a situation ~(which of course is not filmi.). I can obviously recommend it to persons who love watching modern lifestyle and its predicaments.

I would definitely rate it good to give it a better average than it is now. The readers can understand that I specially made a profile in IMDb as I did not like the comments logged for this film.

Moment.....of memory

[BiswajitSince2005 · 10/10 · 26 December 2006]

This is a story of five persons from different walks of life and their relationship with each other. The relationship has been depicted so naturally and other actors are so natural in their act that you feel yourself to be a part of the movie. Juhi Chawla has made a great comeback after her marriage. Urmilla is simply superb. Sanjay Suri is worth mentioning in the title role.

Though the narrative is slow, but the movie is worth watching with your entire family. This movie belongs to Sanjay Suri. The music tracks are heart touching. Cinematography is good. A clean movie from ONIR which can be enjoyed by everyone.

Something different

[hemanthks · 9/10 · 27 October 2006]

Surprisingly,this movie was better than what I expected. Very complex subject to deal with, but the director never loose control over the narration. I enjoyed this movie, I did neither find it slow nor boring but an engrossing experience! Each characters are distinct and etched out very well, which is not so common in a bollywood movie. It's mostly about finding and following one's love, and it beautifully comes to a full circle, where all the 5 main protagonists are connected to each other. There are every possible emotions that a human being can get identified with, it deals with compassion, anger, love, lust and jealousy.

Watch this movie, if you like some serious stuff. Performances are good, especially Juhi as Ira and Sanjay as Nikhil stand out. My rating 9 is for unusual story line, some great acting and, to the director for making an effort to be different.

Awesome.........this is how Bolly should evolve

[pottermaniac_16 · 10/10 · 28 December 2006]

People say it's a "complex" movie . Hello if the audience here is not even prepared to watch such films then nothing but the sad plight of Indian cinema is reflected.

This film not only portrays the fact that we are nothing but puppets in the hands of destiny but it also unerringly maps the rival geography of the human heart. So, I feel BEP is a winner and it also scores over MBN.

Most people these days watch movies after hearing the reviews and that too on DVDs. So whether a film is a Box-Office hit or not , today it hardly matters for the reputation of the film.

BEP has a superb cast.I am spellbound to watch Juhi and Jimmy in such roles .Hats-off to Onir to bring out the best in such a talented cast and most importantly because he projected the actors in a way never before.

Bravo Onir .Kuddos to you .Keep up the good work