In the '90s, Parveen Babi claimed in the press that Amitabh Bachchan and Bill Clinton were hatching a conspiracy to kill her. Many people thought she was crazy.
Through director Mohit Suri's sensitive direction and Kangana Ranaut's powerful performance in Woh Lamhe, these people will hopefully realise what Babi's mental state was at that time. Suri has maturely handled the theme, getting deep into Babi's psyche.
The story is loosely based on Mahesh Bhatt's relationship with Babi. Sana Azim (Ranaut) is a famous actress, but is a victim of abuse at the hands of her boyfriend Akhil Raj (Shaad Randhawa). This leads to her involvement with filmmaker Aditya Garewal (Shiney Ahuja), who uses Sana to better his career, but later finds out that she is suffering from schizophrenia. Sana then disappears and is only heard of again after an attempted suicide.
Suri surprises us with each of his films whether it's Zeher, Kalyug or Woh Lamhe. For a guy who is only in his mid-20s, he deserves praise for handling such unconventional and complicated subjects.
Ahuja shines once again with an excellent performance. Ranaut is outstanding in a complex role and proves that her performance in Gangster was not a flash in pan. She competently carries the film on her lean shoulders. Randhawa makes a decent debut. Purab Kohli as Sam, Aditya's sidekick, provides good support.
Masumi Makhija as Sana's hallucination gives you an eerie feeling. Pritam has once again composed excellent music. Bhatt has put his heart and soul in this story and hopefully it will be his last film on this subject as he had earlier made Arth and Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Ayee based on his relationship with Babi. Besides 15 Park Avenue, Woh Lamhe is also one of the best Bollywood films to tackle schizophrenia. The film's sensitive and tender moments will touch your hearts.
Critic's warning: Unsuitable viewing for children.
