Although the premise of Sirf is interesting and given the fact that the film boasts of some solid actors to infuse life in the characters, the film falls like a pack of cards. Reason: The writers [Rajaatesh Nayar, Shashikant Verma] mess up big time. Resultantly, it doesn't hit you like a thunderbolt.

Let's get specific! In most movies, the problem lies with the conclusion. The culmination ought to give you the feeling that the questions have been answered, the knots have been untied. That's where Sirf suffers. The penultimate 20 odd minutes are a complete farce.

Most importantly, the 'problems' are not serious enough, in some cases at least. Therefore, you don't empathise with those characters. To sum up, SIRF may star some solid actors, but it lacks a solid script to keep the interest alive!

Sirf revolves around four couples -- Kay Kay Menon-Manisha Koirala, Sonali Kulkarni-Ranvir Shorey, Parvin Dabas-Rituparna Sengupta and Ankur Khanna-Nauheed Cyrusi. While the first couple is financially well-off, the one thing missing from their lives is love. Another couple [Ankur-Nauheed] is hopelessly in love, but don't have the financial security to realize their dreams. The third couple [Parvin-Rituparna] is searching for trust, while the fourth couple [Ranvir-Sonali] has to find time to nurture everything that they have.

Each couple has their own problems to deal with, but they cross each other's paths on the crossroads of life.

Life does look greener on the other side. This is something most of us must've experienced at some point of time. In Sirf too, the characters feel that the other's life is a bed of roses, which it isn't. The introduction of the characters and the way the director connects one to another is well depicted.

But problems arrive in the second hour. The stories barely move. Also, all you get to see in this hour is a repetition of what you've watched in the first hour. Worse, the climax takes the film down completely.

The culmination to every story is so strange that you wonder, what were the writers thinking when they wrote this? Ranvir-Sonali's daughter suddenly passes away. But didn't the doctor say she was hale and hearty a sequence or two ago?... Ankur suddenly has a change of heart and blurts out the truth to Kay Kay. But wasn't he thinking of himself all this while? Why this sudden somersault?... Kay Kay and Manisha, on the verge of a divorce, suddenly make up. No explanations are offered. Rituparna picks up the envelope, sees her husband's [Parvin] pics with Manisha and freaks out and the movie ends. Now what was that? Scope for a sequel?

Debutante director Rajaatesh Nayar has handled a few scenes well, but the writing is ineffective and hence, it's impossible to salvage the show. Music [Sohail Sen and Shibani Kashyap] is strictly okay. Baba Azmi's cinematography is perfect.

The film has a number of powerful actors, but the ones who stand out are Sonali Kulkarni [excellent], Rituparna Sengupta [first-rate], Ankur Khanna [wonderful] and Ranvir Shorey [natural]. Kay Kay is wasted. Manisha needs to take care of her looks. Acting-wise, she's strictly okay. Parvin Dabas is passable. Nauheed Cyrusi is just okay.

On the whole, Sirf rests on a weak script and that is its biggest problem. At the box-office, the two major oppositions [Tashan and IPL], coupled with its weak writing, will make it difficult for Sirf to breathe easy.

Courtesy Bollywood Hungama