Circa 1997, a girl from India with looks from west makes it big as Miss World. After crowning she devotes two years for social work as per the contract of the beauty pageant, and then she returns to music videos. Pooja Bhatt offers her a lead role and she prefers to decline the opportunity. Later, to make her profile look marvelous she settles in London. Producers forget the face that remains off air for a long and the girl thinks the time is running out. And, then comes the news that Khalid Mohamed, film critic-turned- director has cast Miss World 1997, Diana Hayden, in his film 'Tehzeeb'. People wait for the film to watch and see her beauty. The expectations come crashing, as the film never takes off.
But hold your breath. Diana Hayden is back with a full blown up role in director Rajesh Singh's new film 'Ab Bas'. And, she is going to cover the entire wait by doing everything to woo her fans. There is a lot of smooching, titillation and skin show in the film. If you are a freak for the films that come as a sex thriller tag line, this is one for you and if you can not wait till the last line, let me tell you Diana can be next contender for the title of a 'sex bomb' currently conferred on Bipasha Basu with a tough competition from Priyanka Chopra, another Miss World. 'Ab Bas' is also an answer to J Lo's 'Enough' and has a lot of resemblance with Rakesh Roshan-directed flick 'Khoon Bhari Maang'. Forget the happy and merry joint family where Bahu was destined to sacrifice her wishes for the sake of sindoor. This one gives you jolts right in your facial muscles.
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For those who have forgotten director Rajesh Singh, there is a refresher. Before making 'Ab Bas', this man has given films like 'Betaabi', 'Baaghi' and 'Aanch'. 'Ab Bas' is his fourth take on Bollywood and going by the trends of oomph and style, this time he has come with a mixture of thrill and sex. A good combination of both has always proved lethal. In 'Ab Bas', Diana plays Soumya, a model. She is watched by a millionaire in a beauty pageant that she wins eventually, and this millionaire loses his heart to her. The millionaire Karan (Shawar Ali) is also a business tycoon and leaves no stone unturned to woo his girl. He manages to win her heart and soon they get married.
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The life progresses and this newly wed couple is gifted with a baby girl. But the story does not come with 'And They Happily Lived Ever After Tag'. The problems startwhen Soumya finds out that her husband is flirting with another girl. At first Karan apologizes but his behavior does not change at all. Things soon start taking an ugly turn and before Soumya could do any thing, she is left with a notice threatening either live with it or be prepared for the consequences. But, Soumya won't let her husband walk away so easily. She leaves home with her kid and seeks a divorce. Karan refuses, and gets all set to make his wife's life hell. Soumya bears the pain for some time. Later, she decides on tit for tat, and says, 'Ab Bas (Enough is Enough).'
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'Ab Bas' sails on a story that looks fresh in its concept at least for the current generation. However, regular movie buffs will find many similarities. But the director has tried his best to camouflage these sequences with heavy dosage of sex and sleaze. Notwithstanding with the current trend of titillation where skin show takes over settings of the story, Rajesh Singh manages to put the soul and the beauty together. So, when Diana Hayden tries to showcase her body assets, it comes in disguise of requirement of the plot. What creates hindrance for the film is its designing. The film has been extensively shot overseas, and it is here that the lack of continuity comes in. Rajesh has also tried to put more and more masti and even added a song on Nigar Khan, but that does not serve the purpose as people want more and more. The story does have some interesting twists but there are some turns that could have been easily avoided. A husband flirting outside home will not be so stupid to get caught only by his phone call. Moreover, it fails to score well on technical grounds. The film did need at least one or two hit and catchy songs to create some waves on music channels to garner more and more patronage. Second, the failure of films like 'Kiss Kis ki Kismet' and 'Tumsa Nahin Dekha' has also shown that people are getting fed up with the overdose of sex and body exhibition.
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Among actors, Diana Hayden is the only asset of the film. She promises to be a challenge for other beauties around. If she concentrates on her work and roles, she can go very far in near future. Shawar Ali, another model- turned-actor, also has the skill for the role. However, he does not fit in the role of a business tycoon. His behavior too makes his character look shaky. It was good to see Arun Bakshi on screen after long, and Neena Kulkarni is again doing the orthodox weepery in a mother's role. Nisha Harle is not impressive, but it is Raju Kher who despite an unattractable personality tries to make his presence felt. The good goings on of mega films 'Veer Zara' and 'Mughal- E -Azam' will make the path for 'Ab Bas' tough. Moreover, a good family entertainer 'Hulchul' releasing simultaneously will only add misery to its fate.
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