Review: Apartment

Star cast: Rohit Roy, Tanushree Dutta, Neetu Chandra, Anupam Kher.

Plot: Tanushree loves Rohit. She breaks off with him when she suspects him of unfaithfulness. She has a roommate, Neetu, who seems to be a very nice girl. A terrible chain of events starts when Rohit tries to enter Tanushree’s life once again.

What’s Good: Neetu Chandra’s acting.

What’s Bad: The story and screenplay, both devoid of novelty.

Verdict: Flop.

Loo break: Not really.

Magna Films’ Apartment (A) is a thriller. Preeti Sengupta (Tanushree Dutta) is an airhostess who is living in with her boyfriend, Karan Malhotra (Rohit Roy). She is not just very possessive but also has an extremely suspicious nature because of which she throws Karan out of her house and life when she suspects him of infidelity.

Next, she takes in Neha Bhargav (Neetu Chandra) as her roommate so that she can pay the EMIS from the rent she earns from Neha. A small-town girl who has come to Bombay, Neha comes across as a simple, respectful and helpful girl.

However, things start going terribly wrong when Karan tries to patch up with Preeti. The pet cat of Madhusudan Tanha (Anupam Kher), Preeti’s neighbour, is found dead under mysterious circumstances. Soon thereafter, Tanha’s body is found in the water tank of the building in which he used to live. Preeti is devastated and confused. The needle of suspicion points towards Neha but is she really the culprit? Do Karan and Preeti make up with one another? These and other questions are answered in the second half of the film.

Jag Mundhra’s story is quite predictable and leaves nothing to imagination. The screenplay, penned by Syed Gulrez and Jag Mundhra, is not just predictable but also childish. The script fails to involve the viewer or engage him as it hardly offers thrills which it is expected to. The failure of the script is even more pronounced once the audience understands who the culprit is but the other characters in the film don’t. All in all, the script is so weak that it just doesn’t make commercial sense.

Rohit Roy does well. Tanushree Dutta is so-so. Neetu Chandra performs ably. Anupam Kher has a weak track and he does an average job. Mushtaq Khan, as the society watchman, overacts to the hilt. The rest of the actors lend dull support.

Jag Mundhra’s direction is very ordinary. Neither the script nor his narration afford any novelty to the viewers. Bappa Lahiri’s music is functional. Naimesh Udayan’s choreography is average. Camerawork (Uday Tiwari) is alright. Sets (Aparna Sud) are okay. Action scenes (Feroz-Parvez) are not convincing enough. Editing (Abhishek Seth and Jag Mundhra) is loose.

On the whole, this Apartment will not have many takers. A dull fare.