Raqeeb is so busy trying to shock us with its high-voltage wantonness, it forgets to pause and refuel its creative motors. The narrative moves at breakneck speed, creating a highly charged, sexually defiant version of Abbas-Mustan’s Humraaz—about the benevolent husband, the adulterous wife, and her amoral lover. Jimmy Shergill sports theatrical rhetoric and flowing henna-coloured hair that doesn’t really suit him.
Tanushree Dutta remembers her breakout role in Raqeeb; reveals, “We shot 18 hours a day”
There are three heroes, one heroine, two item songs, three romantic songs, three attempted murders, and a couple of funerals. There’s also a rather vulgar item song by starlet Sherlyn Chopra.
The film’s only main female lead, Tanushree Dutta, tries to impress the naïve millionaire (played by Rahul Khanna) by claiming to enjoy Shakespeare. Sure, we believe you. As much as we believe the fast-paced film’s perverse quadrangle, featuring three besotted men and one woman. Tanushree does show potential—if only she would stop choosing such inconsistent roles.
Director Anurag Singh cuts his material with the relish of a chef carving a Thanksgiving turkey. Alas, there isn’t much to be thankful for in Raqeeb, unless you’re looking at the scenic locations where the songs are shot—the pristine blue waters and pure white sands.
Reflecting on the film, Tanushree Dutta says, “I’ve grown so much through all these years—as a person, a public figure, an individual, and as a woman navigating life through a fairly good run in Bollywood. Above all, my growth as an artiste and a creative person has seen phenomenal evolution. Not every kind of progress is visible to the eye, but when I see myself on screen in these past projects, I’m filled with nostalgia about how far I’ve come in life!
Raqeeb was a challenging film to shoot—very little budget, long working hours, and being the only female lead in a multi-star cast. I worked very hard on that film, often clocking 16 to 18-hour shooting days with barely any time to rest or eat. But it all paid off in the end. The film, and my performance in it, looked good, and the movie connected with viewers. It still has fantastic repeat value on TV and in theatre circuits.
It airs on major TV channels almost every month, and I still receive fan mails from people saying how much they loved me in the film. Some of my movies are just timeless—and Raqeeb is one of them.”
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