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Shah Rukh Khan introduces us to the three stories with his humorous candour. Each of the female characters is having problems in their relationships with men. Khalid Mohamed once again delves into the emotional psyche of women - a favourite subject of his going by his "Fiza" and "Tehzeeb” (and also “Zubeidaa” which he wrote). Zia is a glamorous Bollywood film star who doesn´t know whether she is coming or going in her tempestuous affair with Neel (Rahul Bose). Neel finally leaves her for Nandita (played by Priya Badlani, Nandita is a woman with a few sexual skeletons in the cupboard) but Zia makes a deal. She wants something from him in return before he leaves forever. Anushka is a telephone receptionist who longs for Nikhil (Ashmit Patel) but gets a wake-up call when he roughly handles her in a moment of forced intimacy. Working with her in the same office is Tarun (Jimmy Shergill), a man who loves her from afar. Rehana is married to Anwar (Kay Kay), a busy businessman who often plays away. His affair with Preeti (Celina Jaitley) is more than obvious but Rehana chooses to ignore it. That is until the moment she is goaded by her stepson, Inayat (Karan Panthaky), into confronting her worst fears. Set to crackling dialogue, Khalid Mohamed´s "Silsiilay" explores the tensions and confrontations that arise in romantic attachments. Zia asks whether she is just repeating filmi dialogues after acting in so many movies or if her words are coming from the heart. The dialogues are natural and convey painful truths about life. "Khamoshi kamzori nahi hoti, Inayat" a beleaguered Rehana explains to her infatuated stepson. As brittle as the glass ornaments that she accidentally breaks, Rehana wanders around her domestic prison like a lost soul. Tabu doesn´t need more than one flicker of her eyelashes just to convey the vulnerability of her character. The screen sizzles with the dangerous and forbidden sexual tension between Rehana and Inayat. And does the director know it! The final of the three stories, he clearly has saved the best till the end. Bhumika Chawla surprises and her glamorous interpretation of a self-centred film actress is a breath of fresh air. Chawla has the better-written role, which may be one of the reasons why she threatens to overshadow Rahul Bose in their scenes together. Bose doesn´t have much to do except raise his eyebrows in surprise while Chawla chews away the screen with her projection of hurt and poignant transition. Acting as her sister, Divya Dutta is wasted with a character whose only motive is to make fun of Zia. Rahul Bose may have little material to work with in terms of the layers in his character but that is true for most of the male actors in this film. Kay Kay is effective when he is showing the coldness and disinterest of Anwar but how I wish that we got to see more of him and learn what makes him tick and the reason for his actions. The director´s vocation as a film critic and passion for cinema is evident in the movie shooting sequences with Zia but it is Rehana´s viewing scene that stands out. Her infectious laughs fill the air while watching Gulzar´s "Angoor" but she also cries while seeing Mehboob Khan’s sentimental “Mother India". This part evokes the magic and passion of watching Hindi film classics. Santosh Sivan makes the screen gorgeous to look at but Mohamed has half-wasted this golden opportunity at working with Sivan. Sivan does prettify everything but the photography does not convey the confusion and inner torment of the characters. The stories are set in Mumbai and Mohamed nails down the restless spirit of the city through the shots of the busy roads and the tall buildings. Although his female characters are candidly written and developed, criticism can be levelled at him in that they are not starkly different from one another. They all are rather rich women who lead comfortable lifestyles. There is not much variety and it would have been ideal to change one of the characters into a girl who is either poor or is struggling with finances. When Riya Sen, Ashmit Patel and Celina Jaitley were cast in their roles, there was scepticism, as they have not yet shown themselves to be capable actors. But by getting more than two facial expressions out of each of them, Khalid Mohamed proves himself to be an actor´s director. Himesh Reshammiya´s tunes are light and peppy but the film does have one too many songs. The video to the best song "Belibaas" is disappointing and Jaitley seems to be trying to bring back memories of Sonu Walia in "Main Teri Hoon Jaanam" ("Khoon Bhari Maang"). Khalid Mohamed´s cocktail of a few tales in the heart of Mumbai is entertaining and is his best directorial effort so far. |
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Through an episodically structured narrative, we are shown glimpses of moments from the lives of three strong women - Rehana (Tabu), Zia (Bhumika Chawla) and Anushka (Riya Sen). 
If Rehana tells Anwar that she will never cry for him only to sob painfully a few minutes later, then Anushka wonders why she cannot bring herself to shed a tear over the ending of her relationship with Nikhil. The weakest out of the three stories, this one never quite grabs your attention the way it should. It is a love triangle that we have seen before in many other "he loves her, she loves the other one" films. It is just a matter of waiting for the moment when Anushka ditches Nikhil and lands up in Tarun´s arms. Riya Sen looks great and has appealing chemistry with Jimmy Shergill. Ashmit Patel is suitably slimy as the sex-mad lothario. Natassha as Anushka´s wild friend goes over the top. 
Admittedly, "Silsiilay" is a very ambitious film and it is successful for the most part in realising its ambitions. But it is the way the stories are tied up that is quite under whelming. Mani Ratnam´s "Yuva" has a similar narrative structure (although a completely different perspective and theme on youth and politics) but it brought all the stories together in an explosive climax. Khalid Mohamed devises a rushed ending to his concoction of stories where all the three female protagonists come together fleetingly in Zia´s pregnancy crisis. This device doesn´t quite click and is not really needed. It may have been best to end it at the moment that Rehana leaves.