Bhram, directed by Pavan Kaul and produced by Nari Hira, comes quite close on the heels of another thriller, Race, which is reported to be doing good business at the box office. While it is definitely not in the same league, it cannot be totally dismissed either. The film has quite a bit going for it, specially where the performances of some of its cast is concerned and its music. This is the director's second film, his first was also a thriller, and it has an interesting concept, as it deals with illusion and the nature of reality. The unfortunate part, as with most promising storylines in Hindi films, is that it falters and stumbles in its execution and exposition (screenplay).
The film is about a business tycoon, Dino Morea (Shantanu) and his beloved Antara (Shweta Menon), whose life changed forever after an incident that took place in her childhood. Her sister had been raped and killed by a mysterious man, a trauma which still haunts her. Shantanu is on a mission to unearth and unmask this mysterious man from her past. Shantanu has an elder brother, Dev (Milind Soman), also a business tycoon and a loving sister-in-law (Simone Singh), both of who dote on him, just as much as he does on them. The time comes when his sweetheart and brother come face to face. He reminds her of the man who had raped and murdered her sister. Accusations fly forth. The film now goes on to investigate whether Dev, a happily married, rich man, did actually commit the crime so many years ago.
At this juncture, the film seems to be interestingly poised for some major twists and turns, which unfortunately never happen. The premise is great but the director is unable to capitalise on it. What follows is quite a let-down as the end becomes almost obvious halfway through the film. Even the lead up to the end is not very interestingly plotted, thereby leaving little to thrill the viewers. The film makes liberal use of the flashback technique as the action shifts from the past to the present. In the first half, the director mainly lays the ground while the "thrills' are left for the second half, where the expose' happens.
Even though Dino Morea has not really made a name for himself for his acting prowess, he puts in a competent performance in the film. Milind Soman, who has a terrific screen presence, is sadly not there for a long time. Simone Singh, who plays the sister-in-law, turns in a very natural performance. She is an actress, who despite having to play second fiddle to the heroine in so many big films, has always left an impact with her lovely screen presence and natural acting style. She shares a good screen chemistry with Dino and their scenes together reflect that. Sheetal Menon, the female protagonist, appears to be quite confident in front of the camera, despite it being her first film.
The film's music has been composed by Pritam and a new pair of composers called Siddharth-Suhas, who made their debut with Dil Dosti Etc. A couple pf the numbers sound fresh, but as for the rest, it is quite mediocre. In the final analysis, Bhram promises a lot but fails to deliver on those promises.
