Synopsis
Hate Story 4 is the 4th part of the Hate Story film series which was directed by Vishal Pandya and produced by Bhushan Kumar under the T-series Films. Hate Story 4 is an erotic thriller that was released in 2018, and as with the others in the series, it contains elements of glamour, betrayal, lust and revenge. However, Hate Story 4 sets itself apart by featuring a new, stand-alone storyline unrelated to the previous films. This new story contains drama, suspense, and complex relationships within it.
The plot takes us through the glamorous yet treacherous corridors of London fashion. It focuses on two ambitious and affluent brothers Aryan and Rajveer Khurana, alongside a mysterious woman named Tasha, the woman who changes their lives forever. Aryan is a smooth businessman married to Rishma, a woman with immense political weight. Rajveer, the younger brother, is a spoiled playboy and a successful photographer.
Rajveer comes across Tasha, an aspiring model and captures her stunning confidence. He becomes infatuated with the idea of marketing her as the new face of their family business. Charismatic Tasha captivates Aryan, who also becomes hooked. Believing that they have control of Tasha, both brothers with her lead them into a dangerous new world filled with deception and manipulation.
While the Khurana household goes about their business, unaware of Tasha’s masquerade, deeper undertones start to form. There exists within Tasha’s past a tale of a woman wronged, filled with vengeance and justice by force. Years prior, her sister Bhairavi faced a horrific assault that was further compounded with cruelty from individuals associated with the Khurana family, culminating in her taking her own life: Tasha’s sister. The soul-crushing humiliation led Tasha on a quest to uncover the brothers’ secrets to punish them for the death of her sister.
As deceptions become unmasked, allegiances are broken, and the death toll begins to rise, events spiral further out of control. Manipulating the brothers of Khurana is something that Tasha achieves skillfully through seduction and is done so by pitting each man against the other. Aryan is introduced to the audience as morally superior, but soon reveals himself to be equally rotten and corrupt as his brother Rajveer. Rishma, Aryan’s fiancée, also serves as a critical part of the plot’s climax, emphasizing that there is no way in this story without a secret.
The film’s climax is both dramatic and captivating, leading to the outcome of Tasha’s schemes bearing fruit when pitting the brothers against each other, forcing the brothers into confrontation with one another, which leads to their eventual downfall. And while the justice, in this case served rather unconventionally, it is served nonetheless and leaves Tasha as a winner albeit deeply emotionally drained.
Cast and Crew
Director:
Vishal Pandya is back with his third installation of the Hate Story saga. With a reputation for biologically high-strung thrillers fused with slick erotic tension Pandya does not deviate from the formula of titillation tempered with suspense and vengeance.
Primary cast:
Urvashi Rautela as Tasha: As the seductive mmodel, Urvashi delivered a performance portraying a Lady who channels both grit and glamour. Softer, nurturing side, and a colder, more calculating persona underneath. This was the first time she played a lead role in an intense thriller.
Vivan Bhatena as Aryan Khurana: The elder Khurana brother is also a sophisticated businessman. An Aryan Khurana who strugles with loyality and desire unleashes his primal side in the conflicted character. Vivan gives an amazing performance where he blends charm with menace.
Karan Wahi as Rajveer Khurana: The flirtatious younger brother is brought to life by Karan Wahi who portrays the part of a womanizing, irresponsible sibling during this film. An obsession with Tasha results in conflict for his character throughout the first half of the movie.
Ihana Dhillon as Rishma: Rishma is varound more than one could expect from a secondary character. When Aryan’s politically connected fiancée addes to the story her character intensifies the drama in the latter half and adds to the betrayal narrative.
Gulshan Grover as Vikram Khurana: The khurana family head, his character serves adds to the story as he embodies the archetype of the ultra elite decaying power and wickedness.
Music:
As with most of the movies in this franchise, the music in Hate Story 4 appeal’s to the viewer’s emotion and sensuality. “Aashiq Banaya Aapne” (the remake), “Boond Boond”, “Badnaamiyan” scored many accolades not only due to their sophisticated visuals but also their captivating melodies. The film’s composers include Tanishk Bagchi and Mithoon which always adds to the commercial expectation of the film.
Cinematography and Editing:
The film portrays the lavish world of its characters through glossy imagery, high-end fashion set pieces, and sleek interiors. Milind Jog’s cinematography knows no bounds when it comes to fishes, night life, photo shoots, and the luxurious lifestyles in London and their capitals. The cuts are quite rapid which maintains the pace but the romance to thriller transition is at times jarring.
IMDb Ratings and Reception
Hate Story 4 has a rating of somewhere close to 3.5 out of 10 on IMDb, which marks the very divided reception the film seems to have gotten. As with most of the films, this one too had a divided opinion. The targeted population of dramatically increasing glamour loved the forked plot but critics and common viewers had an issue with the lack of clever writing, blatant overacting, and unbelievable plot other than the clothes.
The film was criticized for lacking true substance beneath the overemphasis on style: the gratuitous elements of revenge and seduction have plagued prior films in the franchise, and Hate Story 4 does not add anything fresh or innovative. Its plot twists, albeit dramatic, were very cursory in nature, with some bordering on melodrama.
Nonetheless, fans of the franchise sympathized with Urvashi Rautela and praised her for her daring performance and strong attitude: commanding presence on screen. Inarguably, Rautela adopted a nuanced performance Tasha: her depiction of Tasha was unfortunately written in a way where almost all head and no heart, but Rautela did try to add depth to the character’s tragic backstory.
A number of other viewers also offered praise for lack of sensationalism in the pacing, visuals, and tension-filled second half of the film. As a result, they achieve what they promised audiences: steamy thrills, betrayal, murder, and plot-packed twists.
Conclusion
Hate Story 4 is the epitome of a contemporary Bollywood film encapsulating the venerable themes of vengeance set within an ostentatiously conservative society obsessed with power, wealth, and seduction. The film is uncompromising in its treatment of genre-defining elements of an industrious woman, unscrupulous businessmen, ill-fated love, treachery, and relentless revenge.
Although the film has not broken new grounds in storytelling, it serves perfectly in meeting the audience’s hunger for a suspense filled and seductive thriller. The performance of Urvashi Rautela as Tasha is certainly the highlight of the film as she masterfully renders both seduction and suffering. The moral compass of the story is murky since each character has warped personal objectives that hew onto motives of deep-seated selfishness, but not classic good and evil.
At the end of the day, Hate Story 4 does not shy away from delivering everything that the franchise stands for – drama, danger, desire and the much awaited hint of darkness. The film is meant for enthusiasts of Bollywood thrillers that are high on style, emotions and eroticism, even if it prioritizes surface over substance.
Watch Free Movies on Gomovies