Not a Love Story

Today i went to see Not a Love Story. Watching the trailers was quiet overwhelming for me. So couldn't miss it. Entered the movie theater with quiet high expectations for this RGV film. He was the one who i looked forward to but he seemed to have lost his touch a little. But this time he comes out with a bang. The first sequence of the movie gets you in the groove. Then you start expecting. Which he delivered. The cast i am speechless by the performance of Mahie Gill and Deepak Dobriyal. Hats off to you both, especially Mahie Gill. She stood out as once Urmila used to. She was the one only who could do justice to the role. The first half you just can't take your eyes off. The plot and the performance and the camera was awesome, and was beautifully done. The second half gets a bit slow which i think was a bit of stretching but hey then also you just stay glued to the seat. The music drives you crazy.The ending was very unexpected but quiet good. Last but not the least direction!!! Hats off to your RGV. You are back. Guys go and watch it on the big screen, i bet it would be worth the money.

This movie had an intriguing real story as a reference point and a potential to really turn a cracker of a movie out of it dwelling into the different personalities and their motives around the event. Unfortunately, Ramgopal Verma prefers to focus more on Mahi's assets and his creepy perverted camera angles focusing on Mahi's body takes away from the whole story.

Into the second half, about 10 minutes of Zakir's early investigation makes you hope that the second half would be better. But by then the movie has dug itself into a big hole and is not able to get out.

Do yourself a favor. Read Meena Baghel's take on the event in her book instead.

RGV comes again with another Good Movie.as everyone knows that its based on a real story and the way it is shot gives it very realistic look.the cinematography is brilliant but at first you will find it a little weird.The sound design is perfect.The first half is about murder and the second half is about police investigation.The story is about a girl who have big dream to be an actress,how she comes to Mumbai and how something that brutal happens in a city like Mumbai.the Movie is shot in the same building where actual murder was occurred.the actress Mahi Gill and Deepak Dobriyal both have done Mindblowing job. another thing,this movie is not at all for all those mas-ala and mainstream movie lovers. there are some brilliant symbolic scenes like the fish in the fish tank and how the building looks normal from the outside.the song Rangeela re will give you goosebumps if you can feel it specially the line"Itne Chehro me Apne Chehro Ki Pehchan to ho,bade bade Naamo Mai Apna Bhi Namonishan to ho"cause it suits so well to the situation. on the whole if you have understanding for such kind of cinema then its a worth watch.........

Many are claiming that with 'Not a Love Story', Ram Gopal Verma is back on track but I'd take last year's 'Rann' and 'Rakhta Charitra' any day over this. This isn't among his worst and it's not a horrible film either but the story doesn't seem to go anywhere. It starts off well with an aspiring actress wandering from one audition to another until things finally begin to look up when she is chosen to play lead actress in a heroine oriented film. The movie becomes an ordinary thriller after the murder sequence and to make matters worse Ram Gopal Verma gets too playful with the camera-work and it's dreadfully irritating. He doesn't seem to have learned much from the disastrous cinematography of 'Rakhta Charitra 2' but his obvious interest in Mahie Gill's anatomy is quite apparent. The much publicized 'Rangeela Re' track lacks the magic that Asha Bhosle's voice had. Moreover it's poorly utilized in the film. Independently, the background score is interesting but in the film it's too intrusive at times and ends up making some sequences very melodramatic. The sound effect is very good in the first half but very poor in the latter half. While Deepak Dobriyal is very good, this isn't Mahie Gill's best performance. Overall, 'Not A Love Story' simply didn't work for me and I really hope Verma takes it a little easier with the camera and focus more on the content of his film.

With his current masterwork, Ram Gopal Verma makes a new statement, different from all his previous films, which is exactly what was expected from the maestro from a long time.

For many viewers and reviewers, this may not be entertaining stuff from the MASTER and they might like to rate it quite low, taking it only as an average interpretation of a real-life incident from RGV's own point of view. But for me this is RGV's new avatar as a Cinematic Philosopher where he superbly goes on to explain the significance of that one tiny moment in the life of a person in love, where he loses control and commits a horrendous crime, without any hidden and prior intentions of doing it at all.

Apart from the master at work here, the three other aces in the film are its superb performances by the entire starcast (Mahie Gill, Deepak Dobriyal & Zakir Hussain), its fast paced slick editing and a well worked upon Background score which enhances the overall impact of the movie significantly. In fact I strongly feel that the film can be easily used to explain the importance and role of these two post production elements of film-making to the students of cinema.

The best part of NALS is that RGV never takes any sides of either of the killers in his second half. And then he ends the film with a well written open climax, showcasing a highly intense loving moment involving the lovers standing right in the middle of their family members, police officials and lawyers. And this last passionate scene of the film defines the feeling of LOVE within the couple, like never before in Indian CINEMA ever.

Moreover, what differentiates NALS from a normal film project is the way RGV brilliantly explains the value of those few moments full of anger, which become responsible for a serious crime committed without any prior motive. Particularly, in the court room sequences of the second half, the moment it is revealed that what actually happened in those few seconds, you feel like taken onto a dreadful trip within the sick & mean human mind which can go to any extreme to save his own self from a mistake already made. For instance after watching the film, just try to think for a moment that how ardently, the boy must have loved the girl whom he was visiting after a long gap and in return what the girl did, while opening the door crying like a baby. Again, just think how the girl must have made up all those words she said, in only a few seconds she had, which resulted in a dead body lying in her own house after a few minutes.

Hence, as I see it NOT A LOVE STORY is a must watch journey into the human mind capable of doing anything in those strong avoidable moments of ANGER & LUST. For the die-hard fans of RGV, the maestro is back in form with a blast and for students of the medium, here is another classy piece of art from the director, capable of teaching you many vital aspects of film-making in its two hours.

Interestingly, the basic storyline of the film is inspired from a real- life incident of Mumbai and very daringly RGV has also shot the whole movie in the same building in which the original crime was committed. Now the reason I rate it as an essential watch for every avid movie lover since RGV undergoes a notable change with this movie revealing a lot more about our present society and its questionable norms. It made me feel like watching an intense Hitchcock film after a long time.

In few words, I thoroughly enjoyed and loved watching NALS because :

With NOT A LOVE STORY, RGV uncovers the rotten, open and ugly face of our society where SEX clearly remains the biggest currency which can be used to get anything in the world under the sky.

With NOT A LOVE STORY, RGV once again clearly exposes the awful side of a LAWYER's profession and shows how disgustingly they try to mould the things to win their respective cases, stepping over the souls and emotions of their own clients.

With NOT A LOVE STORY, RGV bewares the viewers from the cunning desire and ambition of BEING SOMETHING above the others, for which a human mind can simply go to any extremes.

With NOT A LOVE STORY, RGV redefines the emotion of LOVE on Indian screen, especially in the concluding moments of the film which declare the pure love still existing between the two loving souls despite of all those dreadful happenings between them.

And With NOT A LOVE STORY, RGV reminds me, one of my own earlier statements written few months back that, "CRIME is an illegitimate and unwanted child of ANGER and therefore we should always take extra care before it gets conceived."

So as a conclusion do watch NOT A LOVE STORY for its hidden lesson, for Mahie Gill who is a true performer to look out for and for its highly realistic treatment given by the director, accompanied by an outstanding background score by Sandeep Chowta. Further just remember to watch out the sequence in which RGV uses his own song from "RANGEELA" to explain the inner conflicts of the girl, while she is being arrested.

Highly recommended for all lovers of intense cinema.