Chhupa Rustam review :
Delayed for nearly five years, Chhupa Rustam turned out to be the sleeper hit of 2001 surprising not just the trade pandits but also actor Sanjay Kapoor himself who had zero hopes from it.
The plot revolved around a city goon Raja (Kapoor) who is made to impersonate his London returned humshakal in a small town. Manisha Koirala and Mamta Kulkarni - both way past their prime - played the love interests of Kapoor in a double role. A couple of Anand Milind songs were hummable especially the title number.
Interestingly, the main villain was a lady here - Navneet Nishan - and in my opinion, it is her best performance after the TV series Tara (1993). Her insatiable lust for her step sons property as well as her torrid affair with the family dewan Dilip Tahil was played to perfection by the talented actress. Raj Babbar was also competent as the cop with a sinister plan.
Chhupa Rustam makes for a decent watch with its twists and turns keeping you engaged right till the end. But eventually, you feel sad for Sanjay Kapoor. The female actor always stole the show in all the hits he gave in his career. Tabu was appreciated a lot more for Prem (1995), Raja (1996) was called Rani for Madhuri's superlative act while Chhupa Rustam became all about Navneet Nishan than him. Bechaara Kapoor, indeed!!
Regards,
Sumeet Nadkarni.
