Inkaar

Sexual harassment at workplace is a very critical and relevant subject particularly in today’s times when the entire country is outraged and raising voices against sexism. At the same time, it’s a very sensitive issue and probably that’s the reason why this hasn’t really been touched upon in Indian cinema in the past except for a half baked attempt on it in Aitraaz. But when a filmmaker like Sudhir Mishra who is known for his serious and realist films on socially relevant issues takes it up and makes a film around it, the expectations are bound to go up. Unfortunately, he fails miserably to highlight and make any meaningful sense out of this issue.
The film is about two career oriented professionals in an ad company; Rahul who is CEO of the company and Maya who joins him as an intern but jumps up the corporate ladder fast to reach next only to him. She files a sexual harassment case against Rahul and a penal is formed to find out the truth and the guilty. What follows thereafter is tale of accusations, ambitions, office enmity and dirty politics of corporate culture to outdo each other.
The film starts off well with the director coming to the point almost immediately but then it fast starts losing focus and plot. The harassment incidents stated by Maya are hardly convincing and don’t evoke any empathy towards her. And neither do the explanations and reasoning of Rahul. Narrated by way of multiple flashbacks, the story keeps wandering from love story to sexual harassment to vengeance drama to corporate politics to back to love story but doesn’t really establish anything material in the process. And the culmination to the story is absolutely abrupt, absurd and weird to say the least. What were the writers thinking really?
The only positive of the film is Chitrangada Singh who looks extremely stunning and sensuous. Arjun Rampal is strictly ok.
With running time of more than two hours, the film fails to keep you interested and engaged for most parts and its incomprehensible climax is its biggest downer. A subject that had the potential to be converted into a sensible and meaningful film is treated very amateurishly and foolishly which is a pity. Cinema Analyst's Take – below average. The title of the film is what you need to do to watching this one.