Ashok Mehta's maiden effort Moksha (Salvation) making it finally to the theatres is a big surprise in itself, having been in the making for three years and possibly unable to find any buyers until Arjun Rampal made a name for himself in the pathetic Pyaar Ishq Mohabbat. However, I may have jumped the gun here as Moksha is still to be released in cinemas, we having had the privilege of a print provided for some film festival and therefore possibly somewhat different to the version, which will eventually be released. Three years is a long time and usually you will find that the product becomes stale, jerky and uneven. Not this one which turns out to be a fresh and intelligent film, cleverly plotted and beautifully shot.

The film opens in the present, shown in images of black and white, a tormented and restless Vikram (Arjun Rampal) appearing to drift from place to place. This method of present and past is used through out the film, which in essence charts the life of Vikram, the son of a rich horse trainer who who become a lawyer. Disillusioned by the legal system, he sets upon an idea of setting up a system known as the "Court of the last resort", "nyay Darshan" as he calls it, to assist all those poor people who are unable to appeal because of not having any money. In India, there would be very few lawyers who would work pro bono…there is no legal aid system as such to assist the poor man. Frankly, if you do not have the money to obtain legal representation, then the likelihood of justice being available to you is remote. So the idea of setting up such a Court is idealistic to the extreme and preposterous at the same time for it is doomed to fail. Why? Simply because you need the assistance of the rich to set up and run something like that but it is that very person who has no need for such a "court" and you are stuck with the same old adage…"what's in it for me".

Vikram meets Ritika (Manisha) who joins him in his passion for creating this "system" and vows to be supportive of him forever. If either ever wavers, the punishment would be death. Said semi-jokingly and lovingly, it takes on a greater significance as the film progresses. Ritika's friend loathes Vikram and for some strange reason, even threatens him. Vikram, dismayed by his failure to secure financing for his idea, considered brilliant but not worthy of any backers, decides to rob a bank. Ritika refuses to go along with this plan and dreams of his violent death which she tells him about. Casting her aside, Vikram is adamant to go ahead with his plan as by now, he is obsessed with Nyay Darshan. The following day, arriving at the bank, he is informed that there was a call to the bank by a girl who has warned that there may be a bank robbery. Vikram goes to see Ritika.

In fact, this is more than I should have revealed of the film's plot but have done so in a very simplified form. There is much more to it than meets the eye and Ashok Mehta takes his camera on a rollercoaster of a ride to his ultimate destination, turning his film into tale of love and obsession. There is no overt madness in it but it is certainly hinted at. Vikram's obsession for his "Nyay Darshan" warps his objective, his vision. He cannot accept the brutality of others, yet blurs over his own brutality. He appears to be normal but there is a feeling of a man on the edge, up one moment, down the other. There is no perversity either even though once again, it is hinted at. Often an image of a scene will beg for a greater understanding or interpretation and in my book, a film that is able to engage in intelligent thought or argument is one which has to an extent, succeeded in doing what it set out to do, to engage the audience and envelope it within its own web. This is a good debut for Mehta although he has moulded his film almost like a 60s European film. Rampal could easily have been Belmondo in Breathless, black and white chic everywhere. Not that we are trying to compare this film with Goddard, because it does not even come close to being in that league, but its structure certainly begs for a more European style which Mehta has infused successfully. He does however at times, let the photographer in him get the better of him and you find the film somewhat self-indulgent at times. He could also have cut two more of the songs to make the film tighter because they add very little to the proceedings.

This was to be Arjun Rampal's debut film and he comes across as a confident and assured actor. He is extremely good looking and has a great physique but you never actually find it being projected as his main selling point, which I would hasten to add, it is not. His performance is natural and one of restraint. With a great voice in tow, whose stopping this man from being a huge star? Having said that, I also know that this film will not succeed at the box office sadly, it is simply too stylish and languid in pace to appeal to the masses. Having said that I hope that I am proven wrong.

Manisha is good in the role of Ritika although her impishness in the start and her introduction to Vikram is somewhat irritating and could have been better handled. But as the film progresses, she settles down to a mature performance. Rajesh Roshan's music is very ordinary and not inspiring in the least. Ashok Mehta's camera itself lifts the film to a higher level. I would recommend this one, not as a great film but a film, after a long time, which aspires to be different and is refreshingly so.