| Bewaafa tells the story of Raja (Akshay Kumar), a small-time fusion musician based in Canada and his girlfriend, Anjali (Kareena Kapoor). Coming from a rich upper class family, Anjali keeps her boyfriend a closely guarded secret from her parents - an Indian father (Kabir Bedi) and an English mother (Nafisa Ali). So when Didi (Susmita Sen), her elder sister, comes over from Dehli, Anjali confides in her. Didi is here to give birth to her twins after 10 years of marriage with businessman Aditya (Anil Kapoor). Naturally, Didi's initial meeting with Raja goes very well. So she decides that when the time is right, she will convince her parents about Raja and Anjali's relationship. But this never happens. Why? Because Didi dies during child birth leaving behind two beautiful daughters and a heartbroken Aditya. It is at this point that Anjali is asked to make a decision which will change the course of her future. Without revealing to Raja, she agrees to marry Aditya for the sake of the twins.
But Anjali's marriage is far from rosy. Shocked by his wife's sudden death, Aditya does not readily accept his new wife. Soon, a small incident brings Aditya to his senses. He promises to change for the better and pay more attention to his family. But just at this point in time, Raja suddenly turns up in Delhi and Anjali sees him by chance. Once again, she dreams of a future with the man she has always loved. Thrown into this miss-mash of emotions are Manoj Bajpai and Shamita Shetty who play a loving couple and are devoted friends of Aditya. They are prepared to do what they can to stop Anjali's extra-marital affair. Eventually the day comes when Anjali is forced to make a decision - who she will choose as her life partner and who she will be bewafaa with? And that folks, forms the crux of this Dharmesh Darshan movie which also features shades of his previous films, Raja Hindustani and Dhadkan. The film suggests that a lot of thought has been put into this film by the director. It is very hard to find any glaring flaws. The film reels off at a steady space keeping you glued to the screen. Unlike some films, Bewafaa does not allow your mind to drift away even for a second. One thing needs pointing out: The director should have paid more attention to Anjali and her relationship to the twins because this forms a crucial part of the climax. From what we see on screen, Anjali does not exude that motherly instinct. Having said this, as far as Hindi commercial films are concerned, Bewafaa is the next best thing since Veer Zaara. It does entertain you to the fullest in true Bollywood style. The song sequences and musical score by Nadeem Shravan are in fact one of the highlights of the film. Speaking of highlights, it is worth mentioning that
Mr Darshan has captured Delhi's new metro station with perfection. This is something new in Bollywood films.
Kareena Kapoor performed with maturity while Akshay Kumar not only acts well but also radiates a decent screen presence. Anil Kapoor gives a restrained performance but it is Sushmita Sen in a guest appearance who makes the real impact with her stylish ways. Overall, Bewafaa is worth a watch. The initial weekend release for this film already looks very promising. Reviewed by Manish Gajjar
BBC Shropshire Bollywood
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