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'Bas Ek Pal' which is directed by Onir of 'My Brother Nikhil' fame was screened in the Indian Competing Category at a special show in New Delhi. This is slated to release on August 25th. The film boosts of an impressive star cast which includes Urmila Matondkar as Anamika, Sanjay Suri as Nikhil, Juhi Chawla as Ira, Jimmy Shergill as Rahul and Rehan Engineer as Steve. The film also has special performances by Yashpal Sharma, Purab Kohli and Chetan Pandit, and deals with five main characters, their complex relationships and how an incident changes the lives of these characters. Besides, it talks about a lot of sensitive issues but the way these issues are handled can be questioned. The film has a very urban feel to it. The characters are very stylish and glamorous. But is it enough to attract audiences to theaters? For 'Bas Ek Pal' it might not be enough. There are some powerful performances by the characters but the plot in the end becomes a clichéd one.

The film starts with Sanjay Suri who plays the role of Nikhil Kapoor, a single and arrogant person. He works with an MNC after graduating from a management school in Boston. After the death of his parents in a road accident he comes back to India where his childhood friend Rahul Kher played by Jimmy Shergill is based. Rahul is also single and an introvert. Rahul loves playing basketball and before the interval there are very few times when he is seen anywhere except the basketball court. Nikhil meets Anamika Joshi played by Urmila Matondkar. She is a civil contractor, and falls in love at first sight for Nikhil.

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Anamika or as her friends call her Anu, is an intelligent and a vibrant person. Steve O'Brien played by Rehaan Engineer is a builder by profession. He has been married for five years. He loves his wife Ira Malhotra played by Juhi Chawla but their marriage is going through a bad phase. Ira Malhotra is a former Miss India who gave up her glamorous life to get married with the person she loved, Steve. Steve always threatens to kill himself if she mentions about moving out. Steve is also a friend with Nikhil and Rahul. They decide to visit the same pub where Nikhil and Anamika had met. Anamika is there with a friend, who is a son of a big shot cop. There is a brawl in the bar and Nikhil accidentally fires at Rahul. This incident changes the lives of these five characters forever.

The music of the film is pretty ordinary. The songs are average. The music does not add anything to the film.

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If you have seen Onir's first film be ready to be disappointed by this waste of an effort. If you have seen 'My Brother Nikhil' you would have expected a lot from the director and the film as I did but it failed to convince me. There are so many points being made in the film that you wonder what is happening. If I have to put so much of my grey matter in trying to understand a film, I would rather not want to watch it.