'Woh Lamhe': An ode to Parveen Babi

Kangana in Who Lamhe

Parveen Babi: The very mention of the name conjures images of a star who made news when alive and hit headlines when she met with an isolated, solitary demise.

Her relationship with filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt at their prime was fodder for gossip mills then. The party circuit as well as the studios reverberated with tales of this relationship. But not many knew how stormy this relationship was. Bhatt unravels yet another chapter of his life -- his relationship with Babi -- in Woh Lamhe.

Woh Lamhe is an intense love story, a bit complicated, but deftly executed nonetheless by talented Mohit Suri. Mohit's strength lies in the fact that he narrates the troubled side of a popular star with rare understanding and making it come alive on screen.

In the glitzy entertainment capital of Mumbai as dusk descends, famed actress Sana Azim slashes her wrists in a hotel room, in an attempt to kill herself. When this news reaches filmmaker Aditya Garewal, he is devastated. Aditya has been searching for Sana, who was once intensely involved with him but had mysteriously disappeared from his life without any explanation, three years ago.

As Aditya waits outside the ICU in a death watch situation, praying to be reunited with her, he is hurled back into the perfumed days and champagne nights of his memory, wherein Sana played the role of both -- lover and mentor to a struggling Aditya.

Everything was perfect, except for an enemy which lurked in the shadows, waiting to destroy their love. When Aditya realises that the only way he can save Sana from total devastation is to take her away from Bollywood and the vested interests that threaten to destroy her completely, he runs away with Sana putting his career on the line. Those moments lived in the sanctuary of their love are like an oasis in the desert. Until one day, suddenly, she disappears, leaving him with unanswered questions.

Director Mohit Suri takes giant strides as a storyteller. If Kalyug established that Mohit knows his job well, he climbs the ladder with Woh Lamhe.

The film rests on two power-packed performances: Kangana and Shiny Ahuja. In her second film Kangana gets the role of a lifetime and the actor who impressed the audience with her histrionics in Gangster, delivers an astounding performance. She becomes a replica of the glamorous Parveen Babi.

Shiny Ahuja's performances were much acclaimed in Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi and Gangster, but his role in Woh Lamhe is perhaps the most difficult one he has done so far and his performance only accentuates the proceedings.

Compiled by Cultural Correspondent