Ram Gopal Varma’s latest. This meant a lot of things, especially confusion. I was always in two minds if it would mean a repeat of RGV Ki Aag! That was what held me back from heading to the halls to watch Not A Love Story. However, Sunny read up reviews and said it was good. So, we decided to go ahead with his judgment and decision. (He’s not always right!)

Well, years ago, RGV showcased the story of young girl who dreamt about being a part of Bollywood. He also showcased her as sensual yet simple. He supported it with the remarkable Rangeela Re number! Well, he repeated most of it again. Yes, it’s based on the real life story of a budding actress (Maria Susairaj). It’s based on her boyfriend Emile Jerome. It’s based on the murder of her ladder to success (Neeraj Grover). This was well known to all. But what was unknown was RGV’s treatment. How he takes this story forward and explains what remains of it, is a masterpiece.

 

RGV surely does know how to get his audiences attention. Camera angles that make you feel creepy coupled with haunting or rather bold background score make up for the lack of horror in an RGV film. Yes, he has tried his best to accentuate the curves of his female lead (Mahie Gill) using camera angles. He allows his audience to look up to her! Well, literally. He mostly shows bare legs and everything else from a very low angle bordering soft porn. But then, who cares. After all, the audience will love it. The Rangeela track is back, remixed and as a ring tone too. The slower version that comes towards the end is brilliant. How can anyone go wrong with that track?!

 

Deepal Dobriyal (playing the role of Jerome) is absolutely brilliant. He makes you wonder how one can be so brutal yet so confident. The highlight of the story is how RGV deals with the post murder scenario. This is where he tells his audience that he still retains his sanity. It makes you wonder if it was the same guy who gave us an atrocious remake of Sholay. I also liked the performances of Ajay Ghel (Neeraj Gover) and Zakir Hussain (Inspector). I personally am a huge fan of Zakir ever since I saw him play the role of Rasheed in Sarkar. Absolute brilliance!!

For me, the film was a great come back for RGV. An effort which I hope gets recognized. It’s packed with good performances, great background score and enough sleaze (for all the men). Do try and watch it before dismissing it.