Aman (Rahul Bose) has recently lost his wife (Rinke Khanna) in a car accident which took place during one stormy night. So memories of this incident come flooding back to him, each time it rains. Whilst driving through South Mumbai one rainy evening, Aman's car breaks down and his mobile phone cease to work. He has no option but to seek shelter under the arches of Mumbai's popular Flora Fountain, the very spot where Chameli, a streetwalker does her trade. Waiting for the rain to subside, Aman decides to smoke, so as to while away the time. To his frustration, he finds he has no matches. It is at that moment, he set eyes on Chameli (Kareena Kapoor). Aman is a suave, sophisticated, investment banker whilst Chameli is a hardened character lured by her uncle to Mumbai and sold to a brothel. Worlds apart, both strangers are forced to seek shelter under one roof. Chameli tries to seduce him, offers him hot cups of coffee and even tries to attract his attention as she sings in the rain but with no success. Aman doesn't raise an eye browse towards her. But as the night passes, trouble comes running to Chameli. And that's when Aman steps in to help her.He begins to see beyond this crudely dressed girl and her harsh ways. The concept of a banker who meets the lady of the night, on a stormy evening, serves as an interesting plot. But the lack of a properly thought out screenplay fails to evoke sympathy for both these characters. Even Aman's past, shown through flashbacks does not make us feel pity on him. One of the film's drawbacks is its lack of detail. The whole place looks too synthetic to be called Flora Fountain. The real life version includes passing traffic, noisy passer-bys, in not so well light surroundings. In Sudhur Mishra's film, none of these minute details can be seen.
Even the climax scenes do not make the necessary impact. Kareena Kapoor acts her role with conviction but her 'glamorous Bollywood image' still comes to the fore which dilutes the intensity of her character.
Rahul Bose plays his part well as the introvert and moody Aman with ease. On the whole, Chameli 's storyline is slow moving throughout. It's a film which will appeal to some cinemagoers. Reviewed by Manish Gajjar, BBC Shropshire’s Mr Bollywood. | 
