Starting: KISHORE KUMAR, WAHEEDA REHMAN, DAISY IRANI, NAZIR HUSSAIN, BIPIN GUPTA, LEELA MISHRA
Producer: BASU CHATTERJEE, MANDIR
Director: SATYEN BOSE
Music: HEMANT KUMAR

Old habits die-hard and having tasted the blood of controversy, director Karan Rajdan returns with more bold, more naught and more controversial film 'Girlfriend'. Karan, who showed the light of fame to video album girl Meghna Naidu in his last sexy film 'Hawas', has introduced some known name this time.

 Isha Koppikar is the USP of the film and if the film does some good business as 'Hawas' did in many small centers, then this Khallas girl may soon become the reigning Lady X of Bollywood. 'Girlfriend' does deal with lesbianism, but it's not just that. The film may be termed as a trendsetter in future. It is not as if 'Girlfriend' is the very first film in Hindi cinema that deals with lesbianism. Hema Malini's famous 'Razia Sultan' reminds the scene where two leading ladies of the film embrace each other though not in full light.

That was the first case where love between two females was first depicted in Bollywood. But, to make the topic theme of the film is happening for the first time in Hindi Cinema. Karan Rajdan has purposely chosen a topic that will get him free publicity, and it is happening too. There are long lines for the front rows in the cinema halls. Even if people may pass comments on the film in public, many of them are finding a way to get to peek at the film.

 If 'Qayamat' where Isha played a part in threesome was a high point in her career then 'Girlfriend' is going to be another turning point for her. She is going to be the sexiest bitch around on Indian screen. Isha has chosen a career very carefully. While most of the glamorous girls are fighting for the goodie-goodie role, she is slowly moving to the throne of the bad woman of filmdom. In this film, she plays Tanya, and imparts a new meaning to feminity. She is not a woman who will give up to the make chauvinistic society.

 She will rather fight and try to get her share on her own. And, that happens when Rahul (Ashish Chowdhary) wants to take away Sapna from her. Sapna (Amrita Arora) is a close friend to Tanya. They have been friends from their college days and are living together. Tanya has some discreet feeling for Sapna but she tries to suppress it most of the time in the beginning. Then she goes out of the town for some work. Again Sapna meets Rahul. The girl, Sapna, who was like a shadow to Tanya till yesterday, becomes the lighthouse for a boy. Rahul follows Sapna like anything and soon they realize that they are in love.

Their love story sails slowly but smoothly and then Tanya returns. Tanya cannot bear the fact that Sapna is lying in a boy's arms. She reacts very strongly and Rahul cannot understand the reason and he is more surprised than to get angry. He thinks Tanya is jealous. But it is Tanya's possessiveness for Sapna that is making her life hell. Tanya will do anything to get Sapna back in her arms so that she could complete her hidden desires and could satiate her lust for a woman body.

Will Tanya meet Rahul head on? Or she will try some old gimmicks to make Rahul turn his face from Sapna? Whom does Sapna love more, Rahul or her idol Tanya? Karan has woven the story around lesbianism and succeeds a bit in drawing the viewers' attention to some extent. Having unfolded the plot let us now discuss Isha, the actress. Yes, Isha because everything else in the film seems so small in front of this sexy, seductive and silky babe.

She is the main attraction and also the whole attention of the film. Right from the scene one, Isha mesmerizes the viewers. Her portrayal of the role of Tanya, may make many in Bollywood sit and watch her performance again and again. It is the exotic locales that complement the lusty beauty of Isha one to one. Before Isha, Amrita Arora looks like a barbie doll. Though she too tries to do a skin show in some scenes but it is Isha who reigns in here.

Karan Rajdan has taken a simple love and hate story and put Isha in the villain's role but has added the lesbian angle to her personality and that may make many traditional film viewers hold their breath as even today many in India are not aware that like gays, lesbians too do exist. Karan Rajdan may boast that he has made business to his producers. And, Censor Board chief Anupam Kher may pull up his color for being more than liberal to pass the film with its soul intact, but the worshippers of the art will name it as a sin to filmmaking. Nowadays when filmmakers like Mahesh Bhatt who rose to fame with films like 'Saransh' and 'Arth' are making 'Jism' and 'Murder', where is the path of decency left for strugglers?

These buds have found the lovers at an early age; they may not blossom in full but the success at an early age tastes so sweet that they are not even thinking about ethics and norms. Daboo Malik's music tries to make pace with the film but the lust wins and everything else rests behind in this new film of Karan Rajdan that is 'Girlfriend'.