logo
VidMate
Free YouTube video & music downloader
Download
Ek Hasina Thi (2004)

Ek Hasina Thi (2004)

GENRESCrime,Drama,Mystery,Thriller
LANGHindi
ACTOR
Saif Ali KhanUrmila MatondkarSeema BiswasAditya Srivastav
DIRECTOR
Sriram Raghavan

SYNOPSICS

Ek Hasina Thi (2004) is a Hindi movie. Sriram Raghavan has directed this movie. Saif Ali Khan,Urmila Matondkar,Seema Biswas,Aditya Srivastav are the starring of this movie. It was released in 2004. Ek Hasina Thi (2004) is considered one of the best Crime,Drama,Mystery,Thriller movie in India and around the world.

Sarika and Karan are employed in a big city called Mumbai in India. They meet, have a date, and find that they are attracted to each other. They do not know nor care of each others' backgrounds, and get married. They start to live in a small apartment. One day Karan asks Sarika to deliver a parcel for him via an Indian airline, which she does. The authorities stop her, and a search reveals that she was carrying drugs in the parcel, and she is arrested. After her arrest, Karan visits her and assures that this is all a big misunderstanding, and she will be found not guilty and let out soon. This does not happen, Sarika is found guilty, is convicted and sentenced to a long jail term. While in prison, it slowly and painfully dawns on her that she has been used, and wants to avenge this. In order to get even with Karan, she must first of all either wait for the sentence to get over or be more daring and escape, take Karan by surprise and avenge her humiliation. Which way will Sarika take?

More

Ek Hasina Thi (2004) Reviews

  • "Once There Was a Beauty" - Fantastic film, fantastic Urmila!

    Peter_Young2009-07-15

    Ek Hasina Thi is a wonderfully absorbing film. It is gritty, realistic, gripping, and it successfully adopts the style of Ram Gopal Varma's film-making. This thriller develops at a taut pace, starting as a simple romance and later gradually growing in suspense with its shocking proceedings. It is about a young independent woman, Sarika (Urmila Matondkar), who falls for a young suave man, Karan (Saif Ali Khan) who is actually not the one he appears to be. Unexpectedly, her world is turned upside down when she finds herself jailed because of him. That's how the story of her hardening begins, when, toughened by prison life, she gets determined to take revenge. The film does not have any unnecessary subplots, it avoids melodrama, it is relatively short, it has no songs, and all these elements contribute to its authenticity and suspenseful mood, also aided by its fantastic background score, brilliant dialogues, and superb cast. Urmila Matondkar is one of the finest and most versatile actresses in India. But, in spite of having attained nationwide fame, she is still extremely underrated. It may be because she stepped into a new kind of cinema in order to satisfy her artistic hunger and show her exceptional acting abilities. In Ek Hasina Thi, Urmila stars as Sarika Vartak, but although she plays one character, she actually plays two different women. She is first a gentle and simple class-working woman who, after being deceived by a man, turns into a merciless, calculating and almost sadistic avenger. The complexity of this challenging character arc is astounding, and there is not a single false note in the way Matondkar portrays this deeply troubling transformation. She is thoroughly relatable, real and compelling, handling the toughest and most brutal moments with depth, authenticity and unsettling intensity. This is a performance to remember. Quite obviously, the rest of the cast are here only to support Urmila, but they include a host of talented actors, all of whom do well. Saif Ali Khan is very impressive in this villainous turn. This is one of his most restrained acts, and his serious character comes as a pleasant surprise after all the comic, lighthearted and womanising characters he had played before. Seema Biswas can always be counted on to deliver a credible performance, and that's what she does as Malti. She creates a tough screen persona which is appropriately intimidating. Pratima Kazmi is superb as the powerful yet compassionate prisoner Pramila. In conclusion, Ek Hasina Thi is a great dramatic thriller, which is enjoyable, unconventional and thoroughly fascinating. The film has some disturbing moments and many moments of relief and joy. The ending is also one of the most unusual you will see in a Hindi film. One of the best Indian films of 2004.

    More
  • A magnificent debut by director Sriram Raghavan with stunning performances by the lead artists

    S_Menon2004-02-24

    From the production house of Ram Gopal Varma comes another powerful film about love, hatred, passion and revenge. "Ek Hasina Thi" is director Sriram Raghavan's debut film but you wouldn't be able to tell that after viewing this film. He puts other experienced Indian directors to shame with his debut film. He even surprasses Ram Gopal Varma at his own game. "Ek Hasina Thi" tells a story of Sarika - a simple, working-class woman who seems to be content with her life until her chance encounter with a suave, ultra-cool individual - Karan. She falls in love with him and dreams of a future bliss, marital life. From there on, however, Sarika's world is completely turned upside down. Saying any more would ruin the premise of the film, not to mention, the experience of watching it, but I highly doubt any Bollywood film this year will make an impact on me the way "Ek Hasina Thi" did. One of the major aspects that makes "Ek Hasina Thi" so powerful are the performances by the lead actors. Both of them, Saif and Urmila, give the performances of their careers. Saif Ali Khan, who is suddenly on a white-hot streak with films like "Dil Chahta Hai", "Darna Mana Hai", and the recent "Kal Ho Naa Ho" easily gives the finest performance of his career. Usually, in hindi films, villainous characters are shown to be mere caricatures - a snarl here, a facial contortion there, etc., but Saif Ali Khan plays Karan Rathod in such a subtle, cool, and horrifying real manner that the viewer almost sympathizes with him. If you thought he was great in "Dil Chahta Hai" and "Kal Ho Naa Ho", you will be completely unprepared for his volatile, brilliant performance here. Truly an award-worthy act. Urmila, who is getting much praise for her films in 2003, actually gives her career-best performance as well in "Ek Hasina Thi". In most of her films, Urmila tends to overact even when the character doesn't call for it. But, in "Ek Hasina Thi", Urmila goes through a wide array of emotions and does it very convincingly. Some of the prison sequences are heart-wrenching simply because of Urmila's act. Also, the initial scenes where Saif and Urmila meet are some of the best scenes in the film. They share such an intense and real chemistry. Bravo to both actors for portraying their characters so effectively. As mentioned, director Sriram Raghavan gives the best debut film I've seen in years. Some of the camera angle, quick cuts, stylish close-ups he employs are just wonderful. There are no songs in the film, thankfully, which makes "Ek Hasina Thi" a much better viewing experience. The screenplay by Pooja Ladha Surti is solid. C.K. Muralidharan's cinematography is fantastic - probably better than any film Ram Gopal Varma has been associated with. Editing by Sanjib Datta is superb. Some of the cuts he makes are really innovative. Finally, Amar Mohile's background score is just excellent. It really suits the mood of the film. "Ek Hasina Thi" is easily Varma's finest production. In fact, "Ek Hasina Thi" is even better than Varma's own film - "Company". I look forward to seeing what Sriram Raghavan has to offer us next. "Ek Hasina Thi" is a film that should not be missed by anyone who appreciates intelligent, different, and profound cinema.

    More
  • Decent, taut revenge thriller

    hprill2005-01-25

    From producer Ram Gopal Varma and director Sriram Raghavan comes a pretty good revenge thriller, which is definitely one of the better Indian movies this year. Cast against his usual roles, Saif Ali Khan plays a slick criminal whose dealings with terrorists and the Delhi underworld get his girlfriend Sarika (Urmila Matondkar) into prison. However, toughened by prison life, Sarika manages to escape and takes revenge. Progressing somewhat slowly during the first 15 minutes, but then gaining momentum at an increasing pace, this movie never slows down and manages to keep your interest for the full duration, which at only 120 minutes is significantly less than most Bollywood movies. There are also no disruptive song or dance sequences that would distract you from the plot. In fact, one of the problems that I have with this movie is that it is a bit too short -- in particular the prison sequence seems rushed: Sarika's character development from the innocent, naive girl to the tough, cold-blooded killer is not fully developed and feels a bit sudden as a result. My second problem is with the ending, which, while not inappropriate, feels a bit out of line with her previous revenge strategy. It still works fine, but one feels that it could have been built up better. Other than that, however, there are no obvious problems with the plot, and acting is good from most main and supporting actors. Seema Biswas in particularly stands out in her role as the determined female police officer in pursuit of Sarika. Definitely worth watching, and much better than anything Hollywood, USA has produced in this genre in a long time.

    More
  • Subtlety is a rare commodity in Bollywood...

    bigfeet2004-02-02

    ...but EHT manages it very well. Its a refreshing change from the fare the we are regularly subjected to by Bollywood. There are no ridiculous song and dance sequences, no melodramatic dialogue delivery and even the gory action sequences are underplayed. The movie is about a single girl living alone in Mumbai away from her family ("on her own terms" is what the reviews say) and how she deals with extraordinary circumstances that surround her meeting the man of her dreams (on the lines of Pacific Heights, or Sleeping with the Enemy). The movie suspiciously feels like its a remake of some Hollywood thriller, but without concrete evidence, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt. The movie manages to remain realistic on the whole without giving in to the usual ludicrous melodrama and action scenes at the end. Having said that though, there are a few elements that are difficult to believe. For one, the occupation of the lead character, Sarika. Can a single girl really survive alone in Mumbai with her lifestyle as a booking agent in a travel firm? And for a single girl, she is amazingly gullible when a man woos and beds her. Is it really that easy? Finally, Ram Gopal Verma's penchant for introducing threatening and mysterious characters that turn out to be harmless and irrelevant (the neighbour, Kamdar and the talent scout) is getting old. Even with its flaws, EHT deserves a high rating. Not because its a great movie or will be a classic someday, but because it simply offers a better movie going experience than most other Bollywood movies today. Its very nice to know that a movie without songs can hold its own, especially when it is mainline cinema.

    More
  • One Wonder Product!

    santoshx12004-05-02

    I never even knew about this work by RGV & KSS with direction by Sriram R and sounds by Dwarak. I happened to catch it on one of those 24hr movie channels and what a fresh piece of work it was! The cinematography by Muralidharan, direction by Sriram Raghavan and the sounds by Dwarak are top class. From the cast, Saif Ali Khan, Urmila and Seema Biswas are outstanding. This has to be one of the finest performances by both Saif and Urmila in main roles. It was really surprising to see how on hell Sarika (urmila) could ever get into her jail terms. Her times in the jail are almost like the role of Stallone in Lock-Up. One never expects hardcore stuff from hindi films, yet this one has some of the most intense time-scale scenes in it. I wonder how this Urmila who gyrated her way with Rangeela could ever get into the skin of the role that she plays in this film which requires her to bring in physical encounters with jailmates and so on! The suspense is brilliantly held by the screenplay and background sounds. It was the ending that could have got a better editing. It can be clearly seen how the story loses its way towards the end. This one is for those who can appreciate intelligent and deep films by grasping the psyche of the characters in it. The direction is first class and if RGV can rope in such directors into his team, the indian film industry has got an invaluable producer with it. It really amazes to know that while other Directors struggle hard to set up a team of actors in the cast, Ram Gopal Varma manages to set up a team of directors along with a full team of cast and crew.

    More

Hot Search