Woh Lamhe (that moment) is about an actress who is often the subject of controversy and her inevitable downward spiral. Sana Azim approaches an acclaimed (by Time magazine, even) Bollywood movie director who has badmouthed her on numerous occasions and as a result of this, the paths of the controversial and prideful actress and the brutally honest director cross until he sees that she may not be as shallow as he initially believed. I love how Sana throws it all on the line once her identity is threatened by Aditya. She herself hates the fake life she lives, and it's only when she finds someone who agrees with her, even if he's antagonizing her, that she feels like she can possibly give it up. I found it a little strange how Aditya considered her more fake than other actresses, though. I'm not sure why it was her that he found especially fake. Anyway, I also found it interesting how Sana apparently only made it in the industry thanks to the help of a cruel rich director who uses her in more ways than one. It's easy to hate him, and he isn't too much of a caricature to believe. One thing that bothered me was the rape scene. Not the scene itself, as it was executed surprisingly believably for Bollywood, but the fact that it was never addressed afterward. Sana doesn't show any signs that rape was more traumatic than, say, being slapped or beaten up. Considering how disturbing the scene is, I found that very odd. Anyway, I found many scenes in the movie clever and enjoyable. I liked the first exchange between Sana and Aditya, where Aditya actually calls her ugly, and Sana asks his friend if he thinks she's ugly and he says no. She then says that his opinion isn't necessarily right because his friend disagrees with him, and Aditya counters this by saying that most people are blind, etc. Anyway, their verbal sparring is intense and it's captivating seeing their relationship evolve to feeling sympathy and even love for one another. I found the dialogue relating moments in life to a sand castle that's knocked down on the beach touching.Then there's the darker aspects of the film that touch on mental illness, specifically paranoid schizophrenia. This is a touchy subject that could have been executed horribly, but I felt the movie portrayed the disorder in a decent way, at least. I liked how they had her hallucination be of an old roommate who was 'jealous' of her fame. Many of these sequences were a bit creepy and you can understand how she would be so terrified and find it incredibly difficult to trust anyone or anything anymore. Kangana Ranaut is a great actress who I think is especially good when it comes to more quiet and intense scenes. Shiny Ahuja mostly has one expression in the film, but aside from that, he portrays emotion more believably than the average Bollywood actor. I feel that he and Kangana have a lot of chemistry and that makes up for any poor acting. The songs fit into the movie very well and are very easy on the ears. 'Kya Mujhe Pyaar Hai's tune was lifted from a song called 'Tak Bisakah' by the Indonesian band Peter Pan, and who knows if the lyrics are original. Either way, the music video is very nice. Also liked the song 'Chal Chale'. I read that this movie is based on Parveen Babi's life, and if that's the case, it certainly made me want to watch some of her films. Woh Lamhe is an angst-filled roller coaster ride that is one of the better Bollywood films from recent years.

That said, to say that this film is close to genius would be a complete understatement. Mahesh Bhatt has taken a chapter out of the life of his former lover, the late actress Parveen Babi (a woman whose life and death was so shrouded in secrecy that it would be virtually impossible not to imagine certain aspects of her life while being transposed to celluloid) and woven a beautiful tapestry, perhaps with the hopes of making it easier to take in and digest. I imagine that Babi's life was far more tormented than portrayed in the film. Let it also be noted that this is Bhatt's second telling of his life with Babi (he also made the 1982 film 'Arth' which was semi-autobiographical about his life with the actress).The film begins with Sana i.e. the Parveen Babi character (played by Kangana Ranaut) slowly attempting to commit suicide, alone in a hotel room where she has locked herself away having being lost and tormented for so long. The rest of the story is then told in flashback by her lover Aditya (played by Shiny Ahuja) the morning after her nearly lifeless body is found in the hotel. As the movie progresses, we are introduced to a very complex character. A woman destined for greatness but whom society, upbringing, background & influence had failed her miserably. The love story between Sana and Aditya is tempestuous at first but slowly blossoms as the film progresses. I particularly like the way the it was written that Sana is allowed to have at least a moments of joy (despite the fact that the signs of her illness are shown earlier on in the movie) before the disease because to fully manifest itself and eventually take over her. She is a victim of circumstance, desperate to find some solace but it comes a little too late by the time Aditya walks into her life. For one thing, she is battling a debilitating case of paranoid schizophrenia that ultimately ruins her career(& eventually ends her life) and for another it is a family decision on how and whether or not it is addressed and treated.Renaut is superb as usual, she plays this character she is essaying to the bone and while some have attacked her for over-acting and more things then none, I give her top kudos for attempting to tackle such an intense character at such a young age and stage in her career. Ahuja also takes it to the next level by delivering another fine performance, and proving himself to be one of the finest understated actors working in Bollywood today.Woh Lamhe is a tragic love story, it's a hauntingly beautiful tapestry of what was and what could have been. It's inspired by the life of a woman whom many loved but few knew. It's all very hard to take but I recommend that everyone see this at least once.

woh lamhe is worth a watch.. those who are reading this review without watching this movie had better go and check this one out and then come back.. still here?..(sigh)..OK.. I committed the same error as to check out some reviews and i got comments like "I was surprised that bollywood can produce such a movie" "you had better be in a serious mood to appreciate the film".. I didn't know whether it was in mockery or seriousness.. to put any such confusions to rest .Its def a great movie a general "hollywoodish " feel permeates through out,but its a bollywood entertainer.and what other scenario is better than bollywood itself.we have beautiful actresses,parties and a cynical upcoming director and his sidekick and we have philandering egoistic actors.. ...Its a beautiful love story though one expects a kind of a different story after hearing shiny say "My dear,don't expect anything from me" Kangana as the schizophrenic actress is a natural..and shiny is no less though his underplaying is sometimes a little unnatural but most of the times a relief...its a simple love story set in exotic conditions,just a simple love story and as always it strikes a chord

It would be nice to see once a Hindi movie that is not taken off from American Movies. I found Kangana's character very similar to Gia. In Gia, Gia is an international famous model whose life spirals downwards due to heroine addiction and dies due to AIDS. With Kangana her character Sana has a mental problem that it costs her her life and her boyfriend played by Shiny to take care of (Gia had her mother for those who don't know). Throw in a twist of the imaginary person and her perception that the world is trying to get her and you add in Gia with Beautiful Mind. If you tried to fool us thinking this was an original idea....you didn't. Comeon, come up with a movie that is original....can Bollywood do that on a consistent basis..?? So far, I think not! I give it 3/10 for lack of creativity.