Inkaar

Inkaar was a story that had potential of going awry if not directed cautiously. Luckily for Sudhir Mishra, it worked!

Rahul Verma (Arjun Rampal) is the CEO of an advertising agency, who sees ambition and potential in the spunky Maya Luthra (Chitrangda Singh). He hires her, grooms her, woes her and beds her (the familiar grind!).

But Inkaar is not a love spurned revenge story, Maya and Rahul seem quiet smitten with each other and all’s swell only until Maya realizes that Rahul cannot be tied down by just one ‘C’ - commitment. Juggling ambition, emotions and taunts of sleeping through the rank, Maya’s frustration knows no bounds as her talent becomes synonym to ‘personal favors’ and she asks to be re- assigned to another city.

Years and a fate later, the two end up working in the same office again. But this time the dynamics have changed. Can Rahul handle his prodigy becoming a superstar overnight? Can one file for a sexual harassment case if one has enjoyed a relationship with the offender? How far does being grateful require you to bend over?

There is a very thin line between flirting and sexual harassment. Can we call it most times? Work cultures binding people into 20 odd hrs, where lingerie & condoms are as easily available as office furniture, where emotions, hormones and vulnerability are active volcanoes, where a girl is required to be one of the boys (at convenience), where you let things go or be ‘accused of flattering yourself’ by reading too much…where is the bloody boundary?!!

Apart from the cliché sketch of an ad woman – a nose ring, wine in one hand and a cigarette in the other, Sudhir Mishra’s direction has little scope for grey areas. The story is narrated in a very unbiased fashion and at no point does he make it easy for the audience to choose sides.

The film is largely shot in a boardroom as the story unfolds in flashbacks. Given its limitations Sachin Krishn’s pacy camera work and the snippy editing rescue the movie from being buried in a bored – room

One bit of screenplay I found interesting was the scene at Maya’s house after the party. How the same one incident was played out differently, both from Maya, and Rahul’s view point. Arjun and Chitrangda though dont absolutely misfit their characters but i'd say Arjun delivered it better.

Sexual harassment is a delicate theme and Sudhir Mishra tugs the line between the willing and the unwilling, casual flirting and harassment, between being ambitious and an opportunist.

Office politics just got hotter... ( if even10% of your colleagues looked like Arjun Rampal why wouldn’t it) I’m not saying it’s a must watch, it is interesting to see how a story walks the rope without tipping.