Wajah Tum Ho film review: Lowbrow thriller with twists galore

Wajah Tum Ho is unappealing as a thriller, low on convincing factor and predictable despite its twists.

God alone knows the plight of aspiring actors and filmmakers. They somehow land a film, and the critics pounce upon them, damning hopes and prospects. But with Wajah Tum Ho, the many star-aspirants in the film are let down by its director Vishal Pandya. After Hate Story 2 and Hate Story 3, you expected him to move to the next level. He doesn't, and the result is the third sad exercise in filmmaking.
But how can we really blame Pandya when even hotshots such as Aditya Chopra delivers trash? So we suffer them all with nonchalance, and wait for the next Thursday/Friday in the hope that Bollywood doesn't let us down again.
Wajah Tum Ho fits into the bracket of those lowbrow thrillers that its production company is known for. It is the sort of film that the Bhatts used to make - taking us for granted while they speak to live TV in grandiose words about everything under the sun.
It also fits the formula of budgeted filmmaking. Make a so-called thriller, throw in some sleaze with heroines in skimpy attire and tight close-ups, mouth some mumbo-jumbo about technology, add in a social issue - and serve it with some 'pining for your love' kind of songs.
In Wajah Tum Ho, there were the elements for a promising thriller that is killed brutally with utter naive talk about hacking and satellites and what not.
So we have hotshot inspector Kabir (Sharman Joshi) investigating the live-on-TV murder of an ACP, and is tracking it right to the TV's boss Rahul (Rajneesh Duggal). Surprise, surprise! Rahul's lawyer Siya (Sana Khan) and the state's counsel Ranvir (Gurmeet Choudhary) are in love. They fight in court, and romance in dreamy hues, where Siya must wear strapped costumes that bring out the curves.
Just as Kabir nails the prime suspect he too is killed and the murder aired live again. Cut then, to a shocked nation watching it all with mouth agape. We are now given a glimpse of who could be the real killer.
Post-interval, everything is a twist. Heroes become villains. Villains become heroes. All of a sudden the star-crossed lovers come on screen to sing Wajah Tum Ho to justify the title. And our hotshot lady lawyer shows us that she can do some deft action too. To say anything further would be to reveal the plot.
With tacky sets, some contrived lines and a script that gets predictable just as it takes a plot-twist, Wajah Tum Ho is hardly engaging enough. You can watch it impassioned and study the contours of the popcorn, if you may.
Sharman Joshi is a fantastic actor and he shows his grip; sadly, why is this man not getting his due share of stardom? Gurmeet and Rajneesh too are effective; they just get stuck in lame lines. While Sana Khan shows she can act, she struggles to lend her character the credibility it needs.
As in all lowbrow Bollywood films, there is the mandatory scene of a lady slowly immersing herself into a pool but she takes extra care not to wet the hair. That applies to the film too: Pour some water of common sense on it, and the bad scripting comes out.

Wajah Tum Ho

Directed by Vishal Pandya
Starring: Sharman Joshi and Sana Khan
Now playing at theatres in the UAE
Rating: 1/5