A few weeks ago, there was JIGYAASA. This week, it's MADHUBAALA, which also tackles the issue of film industry and casting couch. The problem with MADHUBAALA is that it tries too hard to be real, but falls flat.

MADHUBAALA tells the story of Madhubaala [Kanishka], who wants to make it big in Bollywood. With the help of her friend [Gurpreet Singh], she meets an award winning director Raj Malhotra [Sameer Dharmadhikari], who rapes her 21 times in two years. She's promised the heroine's role in his film and also given false promises of marriage.

But Raj marries someone else altogether [Aditi Gowitrikar] and Madhubaala feels cheated. With the help of a social activist, she lodges a complaint with the police. Everyone including Raj's parents and wife start feeling that Raj is guilty, but the court case takes a surprise turn when a guilt-conscious Madhubaala reveals that Raj had not raped her. She wanted to be famous, hence she lodged a complaint against him.

MADHUBAALA could've been one interesting story, but thanks to a sloppy screenplay, it turns out to be one poor show. The writing part is the weakest link of the enterprise, which is precisely the reason why the film fails to strike a chord. Even the climax, which should've been a strong point, is tacky.

Direction [Shivram Yadav] is very mediocre. Ditto for the music [Bapi-Tutul]. Even the performances are not too strong. Kanishka tries too hard to convince. Sameer Dharmadhikari needs to loosen up. Gurpreet Gill and Aditi Gowitrikar are alright.

On the whole, MADHUBAALA is a poor show.