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By Taran Adarsh, September 17, 2005 - 08:34 IST
The new-age directors are coming up with stories that do sound interesting to the ears. Even their execution holds your
attention intermittently [most of the times]. But not all stories can meet with universal acceptance…
That's the problem with SAU JHOOTH EK SACH - THE UNINVITED. The film has all it takes to be a gripping and riveting
edge-of-the-seat thriller, but [a] It runs out of steam by the time it reaches its finale and [b] The story may appeal to a
tiny segment of viewers, but not to the aam janta.
At best, SAU JHOOTH EK SACH - THE UNINVITED caters to a niche audience, people who wouldn't mind spending two precious hours
of their life watching a film on television or renting out a DVD.
The family of leading industrialist Vikrant Pradhan [Vikram Gokhale] hosts a lavish party. And they have reasons to rejoice:
The launch of a unique Dry Gin under their brand name and daughter Zoya's [Neha Dubey] proposed marriage into the large
Khanna industrial house.
After all the guests have left, the Pradhans have an unexpected visitor. Inspector Vivek [Mammootty] enters the household
without an appointment because he is on duty, investigating a suicide case.
An unknown pregnant girl has ended her life by hanging herself from the ceiling fan in a room of a little known chawl.
Baffled by the suggestion of being linked with the incident and shocked by the thought of being responsible for her death,
the Pradhan family gives in to the interrogation reluctantly.
As the evening turns into night and as the night grows deeper and deeper, the questions posed by Inspector Vivek uncover some
of the darkest secrets held within the minds of every member of the Pradhan family. Towards the end of this journey, it
becomes quite evident that each of the characters is directly or indirectly, morally or actually responsible for the suicide.
The story takes a turn when the family gets to know that there is no police officer with a name of Inspector Vivek in their
zone, that there was no suicide incident and above all, there were no visitors to the house since its main gates got closed
after the party.
Next morning, unlike any other morning before, the Pradhan family reads a news article about a suicide case: An unknown
pregnant girl has ended her life by hanging herself from the ceiling fan of a room in a little known chawl. Next phone
call, unlike any other phone call before, brings a different message, and the voice which speaks… it's a police inspector on
the other side!
SAU JHOOTH EK SACH - THE UNINVITED has its moments. The sequences between Mammootty and Vikram Gokhale and the mystery
element keep you hooked to the proceedings all through the first half.
But the screenplay goes awry towards the post-interval portions, more so towards the climax. Talking of the script, the
bitter relations between Vikram Gokhale and his son [Kiran Janjani] aren't touched upon at any level. Why he dislikes his son
in the first place, remains unexplained right till the end.
Even the climax isn't the type that would satiate the moviegoer. It wouldn't be right to reveal the ending here, but the
manner in which the story concludes makes it look like an amateurish job. A striking end was the need of the hour!
Bappaditya Roy's choice of the subject wouldn't find many takers, frankly speaking. For the common man, and even those who
frequent the multiplexes, a film like SAU JHOOTH EK SACH - THE UNINVITED is too abstract, too offbeat. It could've worked as
a play or on television, but a feature film format doesn't seem too inviting. Perhaps, the festival crowd may go ga-ga over
it!
As a storyteller, he has handled a few sequences with flourish, but the impact isn't strong enough towards the second half.
Dialogues [Pankaj Kapoor] are well worded at places. Cinematography [Amitabha Singh] is alright.
Mammootty has already won accolades [and awards] in the past and the performance in SAU JHOOTH EK SACH - THE UNINVITED is
nothing short of an accomplishment again. Vikram Gokhale stands up to Mammootty at every step. In fact, the sequences between
the two are the mainstay of the enterprise.
Lillete Dubey doesn't really get much scope. Neha Dubey needs to go easy on her make-up; otherwise she is first-rate. Joy
Sengupta is expert. Kiran Janjani is alright.
On the whole, SAU JHOOTH EK SACH - THE UNINVITED has something for the festival circuit, but nothing for the masses. At the
box-office, the prospects appear bleak also because SAU JHOOTH EK SACH - THE UNINVITED has come virtually uninvited, with as
good as nil promotion.
 
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