Rivaaz

Cast: Deepti Naval, Reema Lagoo, Meghna Naidu, Alok Nath, Rajendra Gupta, Ritisha Vijayvargya, Vijay Raaz, Manoj Biddvai, Sadhika Randhawa, Manoj Verma, Yashpal Sharma, Upyendra Limaye, Sayaji Shinde

Director: Ashok Nanda

Writer/s: Ashok Nanda, Rakesh Chandra Saroj

Producer/s: Ashok Nanda, Vidya Kamat

Plot: Family-based Prostitution in which exists in many districts. But unfortunately Our Law and Order System does not consider this as a major issue.

The system which started as a community tradition (rivaaz) now operating as a money-making trade within the knowledge of the lawmakers and protectors.

Rivaaz is a film against exploitation, a film about dignity, about hope of women who are traded in the name of tradition.

We set the story in one such village where this tradition is a mockery to the Indian independence. Those who dared defy tradition and want to marry and settle down without consenting to engage in prostitution, are tortured and killed to set an example.

The family consists of mother Deepti Naval and daughters Ritisha Vijayvargiya, Meghna Naidu and Sadhika Randhawa and the atrocities committed on the women by the men.

Ritisha who essays Bela dares to fall in love. And has to face the wrath of her father, the local police and everyone connected, waiting to pimp off her, and of course, the local rich man waiting for her to turn 18 so that he can put a price to her flesh! Her mother has also buried her dreams once after her love is killed mercilessly by the villagers. Will tradition repeat itself?

Through the tears of this family, we showcase the tears of the millions of girls who are caught in the web of tradition, helpless and unable to escape.

The NRI director, Ashok Nanda, who has made this film with no efforts spared just to bring it to the notice of his fellow countrymen, however is not the one to accept defeat. He goes on to take the cinematic liberty of taking an extreme step to show that where there will be no men forcing women into prostitution, there will be no atrocity on women!

A hard-hitting film with amazing performances by not just Deepti Naval but also the new cast and amazingly Meghna Naidu in an admirable histrionic avatar sans make-up, Rivaaz is a slap on the face of every Indian who feels secure in his own home.

Even today, in our midst villages where every mother, sister and daughter are forced to engage in prostitution to help their menfolk live a life of luxury. Where there are no daughters, girls are purchased from poor starving villages India, adopted and brought up to fend for the men. The pimps are none other than their own fathers and brothers.

Shocked! Watch Rivaaz. And see if you can take a step to make a difference…

When a city boy (Manoj Bidwai) visits a village – in which men traditionally make their sisters and daughters work as prostitutes – he falls in love with a girl (Ritisha Vijayvargya) who is yet to be initiated into this rivaaz (tradition). When he attempts to defy the tradition, things start to unravel. Find out more in the review.

Business rating: 0.5/5 star

Star cast: Deepti Naval, Ritisha Vijayvargya, Manoj Bidwai, Alok Nath, Reema, Sayaji Shinde, Vijay Raaz.

What’s Good: Hardly anything.

What’s Bad: The poorly written screenplay; the boring drama; the pathetic direction; the average performances; and the forgettable music.

Verdict: Rivaaz is a very poor fare. Flop.

Loo break: Several.

Watch or Not?: Watch it at your own risk.

User rating:

Deeksha Screen Entertainment and Laurel Entertainment’s Rivaaz explores the issue of family prostitution – a tradition, followed by certain communities in India, under which sisters and daughters of the family are forced into prostitution, with the men-folk acting as pimps.

City boy Rahul (Manoj Bidwai) goes to a village to attend the marriage of his close friend’s sister. He is horrified when he discovers that the villagers follow the archaic tradition of family prostitution and that the same has the tacit sanction of the local mukhiya (Alok Nath), the police inspector (Yashpal Sharma) and the local landlord, Thakur Ranjit Singh (Sayaji Shinde). In fact, Thakur Ranjit Singh is a regular customer of the girls from the village and has made a record-breaking deal worth Rs. one lakh for Bela (Ritisha Vijayvargya), a virgin.

Incidentally, Rahul falls in love with Bela and, with the help of local pimp (Vijay Raaz), he manages to meet Bela in secret and convince her that he loves her. Bela reciprocates his feelings and wants to break free of the village tradition and marry Rahul. Later on, Rahul learns that Bela has already been sold to the Thakur, who is, in fact, his friend’s father. But Rahul says nothing to his friend. Soon, Rahul and Bela’s affair is revealed and the panchyat decides to kill them both as they have broken the village tradition. However, Rahul’s friend arrives in the nick of time and saves him from death. Bela’s father (Rajendra Gupta) also pleads with the panchayat to let Bela go so that he can keep his contract with the Thakur. Rahul promises Bela that he will return to save her. What happens next? Does Rahul reveal the truth to his friend that the latter’s father sleeps with the young girls of the village? What about his promise to Bela? Does Bela’s father keep his contract with the Thakur? What happens to the tradition of family prostitution in the village? The rest of the film and the climax answer these questions.

Rivaaz Review – Script Analysis

Ashok Nanda and Rakesh Chandra Saroj’s story is based on a vexatious issue and it had a lot of potential for drama. However, the screenplay, penned by Rakesh Chandra Saroj, is poorly written and makes no sense most of the times. Many of the dramatic scenes have been conceptualised and executed in such a shoddy manner that the audience loses interest right from the word ‘go’. As a result, the audience is never engaged in the drama or never feels the emotions that the characters are going through. Moreover, several characters and sub-plots in the film lead to nowhere. For example, the character of the village goon (Upendra Limaye) and the brutal killing of his grandmother at his hands; that of the honest police officer who turns corrupt; or that of the pimp’s love interest – all these make no sense at all. The climax, too, is predictable and very convenient. The dialogues, also penned by Rakesh Chandra Saroj, are clichéd and create no impact at all on the audience. The forced and repeated use of the word ‘rivaaz’ in the dialogues is irritating. In fact, half an hour into the movie, the audience starts wincing in frustration as the film’s sorry plot starts to unfold.

Rivaaz Review – Star Performances

The star cast of Rivaaz looks good on paper. However, it fails to deliver on screen. Manoj Bidwai leaves the audience aghast with his average looks and his deeply traumatising performance. Ritisha Vijayvargya has neither the looks nor the talent. Deepti Naval is wasted in the role of Bela’s mother. Reema is ordinary in the role of Thakur Ranjit Singh’s wife. Vijay Raaz does well in an inconsequential role. Alok Nath, Rajendra Gupta and Sayaji Shinde do average jobs. Mushtaq Khan, Upendra Limaye and Yashpal Sharma aren’t even average in their short roles. Sambhavana Seth is alright in an item song. Saadhika Randhawa (as the pimp’s love interest) and Manoj Verma offer poor support.

Rivaaz Review – Direction & Music

Ashok Nanda’s direction is terrible. He is unable to get the audience interested in the drama even for a single moment. Plus, his narrative style belongs to an era gone by. He is unable to extract any meaningful contributions from his cast. Four songs in the film add zero value to it. In other words, music, by Raj Inder Raj and Reeg Deb, is below average. The background score is poor. Ramesh Nautiyal’s cinematography is just about alright. Action scenes, composed by Buta Singh, are poorly executed. Editing, by Uma Shankar Mishra, could have been much better.

Rivaaz Review – Verdict

On the whole, Rivaaz will meet with a disastrous fate at the box-office.