Dinesh Kamath's column on movie 'Table No. 21' that was published in Newsband

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Table No. 21 is a Bollywood action thriller film directed by Aditya Datt, featuring Rajeev Khandelwal in the title role alongside Tena Desae playing the female lead with Paresh Rawal. It is produced by Eros International.

The movie has an interesting plot. Vivaan (Rajeev Khandelwal) and Siya Agasthi (Tena Desae), like any other ordinary couple, that are working their way to make ends meet can’t believe their luck when they win a chance to make a trip to the beautiful islands of Fiji. Not only is this holiday fully paid for, with their stay at one of the finest hotels, but they also get invited to dine at Suva, Fiji’s finest resorts on occasion of their wedding anniversary. Fate however, has a different plan for them, when at the resort; they encounter the charming Mr. Khan (Paresh Rawal). Their luck gets only better when Mr. Khan offers to give the couple a staggering 21 crores, provided they play and win the ‘tell all truth’ game that he hosts. 8 questions, truthful answers and completion of tasks - the rules of the game seem pretty straightforward. Realizing how an amount so large could potentially change their lives forever, Vivaan and Siya decide to take up the challenge. The game kick starts with the couple performing impressively well, managing to both speak the truth as well as complete the tasks thrown at them. As the game proceeds, the questions and tasks become more intense, demanding and surprisingly personal, relating to significant parts of their lives. Vivaan and Siya are stuck in a rut, as one important rule that they’re reminded of is that they aren’t allowed to quit midway. By the time they realize that their survival depends on the game, it’s too late to do anything about it. Will Vivaan and Siya be able to figure out who Mr. Khan really is and beat him at his own game?

The movie has Paresh Rawal as Mr Khan, Rajeev Khandelwal as Vivaan Agasthi and Tena Desae as Siya Agasthi.

The film was shot in Fiji. The film was shot in several exotic places; the resort was The Uprising Resort Fiji and The South Pacific Pearl Resort which is in Pacific Harbor. Table No.21 was also shot in Suva City at the triangle where Rajeev Khandelwal refused to kiss Tena Desae for privacy reasons. However at the end of the day he did.

The music of the film is composed by Amir Mohile and lyrics penned by Aseem Ahmed, Gajendra Verma, Sheeshak Anand and Jaspreet Jazz.. The title song, If You Lie, You Die is by Neeraj Shridhar and Jaspreet Jazz. The romantic song Mann Mera is by Gajendra Verma.

Writers of the film are Sheeshak Anand and Abhijeet Deshpande.

In the Hindi film industry, mostly ruled by the Khans and Kapoors, actor Rajeev Khandelwal has been able to make space for himself, without any backing. It is a myth that the film industry is not open to accepting people from outside. A successful TV actor thanks to shows like Kahiin Toh Hoga and Left Right Left, Rajeev turned to films with 2008 film Aamir, and received critical acclaim for his intense performance. He went on to do films like Shaitan and Soundtrack, and will now be seen in Table No. 21 with Tena Desae and veteran actor Paresh Rawal. The film is a thriller, a genre he has already tried. He is a person who goes by instinct. When he reads a script, he is on the look out for something which he hasn't seen or heard before. This is how he selects.

This film Table No. 21 is a thriller, which unveils certain things as the film progresses. But that is not the reason why Rajeev picked it up. He doesn’t look at films thinking that these are the kind of films which will work, so he should do them. He goes solely by the script.

With more movies joining the Rs 100 crore or even the Rs 200 crore club, Rajeev, who has been part of small or medium budget films, is at peace with whatever projects come his way. He is satisfied with what he does. If everyone gets into the race, then films like Aamir, Soundtrack and Shaitan would not be made. And there are a lot of people who want to watch these films. Rajeev doesn’t look at films like business models and he doesn’t want to enter this race. But the actor feels that since people invest a lot of money in films, they must do well. Films must make money as this is an industry where people invest money. But he doesn’t want to be a part of business models where you make a film in a certain manner and release it in a certain manner, just to make money... where people don't look at content and just the collection. Rajeev can't overlook the content ever.

The film Table No. 21 does not have those regular twists and turns in its story. The script is totally different and engaging. The film has chills, thrills and emotions at the same time. After watching the film, one may get a feeling of lots and lots of international films such as Saw, The Game, The Hunger Games etc.

Aditya Datt, director of thriller Table No. 21, chose the number 21 since it is linked to article 21 of the Constitution. Constitution of India's Article 21 is 'right to life'. The game in the film somehow snatches that right from the player. The story is related to this article. He chose this number as he thought it is important to bring in this number into the film. That's why he chose the title Table No.21.

Datt has directed films as such Aashiq Banaya Aapne, Good Luck! and Will You Marry Me?

Actor Paresh Rawal’s character in thriller Table No. 21 may come across as negative, but it is not entirely black in shade. As the story moves forward you'll realize it's not just negative, it has all kinds of shades. Similar shades can be found in Rajeev Khandelwal and Tena Desae's characters as well. There is no black and white, all three characters are grey and all three are victims of circumstances.

Being the senior-most actor in the film, Paresh might look like the only actor who has the responsibility to shoulder the film. But it is not so. Since the film's story and script is good, he didn’t have any responsibility. Even cast, actor and producer are good and hence his responsibility lessened still further.

In this movie, Tena Desae has done some bold scenes. Tena was nervous about the kissing scene as she did not want it to look vulgar and cheap. The kissing scene was important to make sure it came out passionate and not sloppy. She wanted to make sure it comes out looking good. However, she admits it was not easy. It was a challenge because she is shy about these things and they were shooting on a street, which had 2,000 to 3,000 people watching them. She was freaking out.

Desae had made her Bollywood debut with Yeh Faasley though the film failed to garner much acclaim at the box office. She was later roped in for a Hollywood project, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was a phenomenal success internationally. In India, few people watched it, but loved it.

Thus Table No. 21 is a different film. Every character has a lot of layers in this film, and it is not like the rest of the films. The film has special plot and a gripping storyline. This is the first film of 2013 and it shows promise of opening the year with a bang for the film industry. The film will release on 4 January 2013. Do watch the film Table No. 21.