RAKHT

Banner :
Cine Blitz Productions
Popcorn Motion Pictures

Status : Released

Release Date : September 3, 2004

Director : Mahesh Manjrekar

Cast :
Sanjay Dutt...... Rahul
Sunil Shetty...... Mohit
Bipasha Basu...... Drishti
Dino Morea...... Sunny
Amrita Arora...... Natasha
Neha Dhupia...... Rhea
Himanshu Mallik...... Abhigyan Gupta
Abhishek Bachchan
Payal Rohatgi
Rajat Bedi...... Inspector
Sharat Saxena...... Mayor
Shashikala...... Drishti's grandmother
Yana Gupta...... Dancer
Shivaji Satam...... Drishti's father
Sachin Khedekar
Beena

Cinematography :
Vijay Arora Choreography :
Vaibhavi Merchant



Movie Review:Rakht was being produced by movie magazine Cine Blitz along with liquor baron Vijay Mallya and Suneil Shetty's Popcorn Entertainment. The presence of the stars had also created a lot of excitement about the film.

Rakht stars Sanjay Dutt, Suniel Shetty and Dino Morea, with Bipasha Basu leading the bevy of beauties -- Amrita Arora, Neha Dhupia. Yana Gupta, in an item number, adds oomph.

Drishti (Bipasha) is a tarot card reader, who has a number of clients. One of them is Riya (Neha), an abused wife. Riya tries to seek reassurances from Drishti that her marriage will be all right, but Drishti tries to convince her otherwise. When she tells Riya to leave her husband Sunny (Dino), Sunny starts threatening Drishti.

Drishti is introduced to Natasha (Amrita), who is her son's school principal Rahul (Sanjay)'s fiancée. But at a party, Drishti finds Natasha in a torrid embrace with Abhigyan Sharma (Himanshu Malik).

A few days later, Natasha goes missing. When the police are unable to solve the case, Rahul asks Drishti to intervene. With an incohesive script and serious lapses in logic one can hardly expect the actors to give off their best and that is exactly what happens. Both Sanjay Dutt and Suneil Shetty look too old for their roles. Bipasha Basu is just not capable of the variety of expressions she is asked to deliver and in close ups is highly incompetent.

Mahesh Manjrekar manages a gripping film, but falters at the finale. One didn't expect him to lose control on his film. No one knows till the end about the killer and such a story is not easy to do these days when everyone makes thrillers.

RAKHT belongs to Bipasha Basu, who sheds the 'sex symbol' tag with this film and dons a new avtaar, that of an actress of substance. Dino Morea, who delivers a bravura performance. Sanjay Dutt is restrained, as per the demand of the character. Suniel Shetty leaves an impression. Amrita Arora excels; her presence looming large from start to end. Neha Dhupia doesn't get much to do as the battered wife, yet gives it her best. Abhishek Bachchan looks trendy in the song ['One Love'] and the scene that he has. Himanshu is just about okay. Payal Rohatgi is likeable. Sachin Khedekar is incredible in the courtroom sequence. Shashikala, Beena and Shivaji Satam are adequate.

On the whole, Rakht is a well made film, with its share of scary moments and good item numbers.