Karan Razdan’s Souten is set in the Rajsathan. It tells the story of Raj (Vikram Singh), who is in love with Sapna (Kiran Rathod). Sapna’s jealous stepmother Mitali (Mahima Choudhary) cannot bear the fact that her stepdaughter is getting attention from a young man because she is stuck with the middle-aged Thakur Ranbeer Singh.
Dissatisfied and frustrated, Mitali causes trouble for Sapna by seducing her boyfriend. Smita (Padmini Kolhapure), who is married to Raj’s elder brother Sumer Singh (Shakti Kapoor), tries to put the story on the moral track.
Souten has a screenplay of convenience. The story jumps from one incident to another without any strong reason and the outcome is a mishmash of several incidents put together.There’s hardly any movement in the first half of the film.
Even the love story – mother-and daughter falling in love with one guy – shows no movement in the first half. It is only towards the second half that things get moving, but too many tracks – specially the Goa track – looks forced and completely out of place.What bogs the film considerably is the writing .Even the songs has no relevance to the story and has been forced to the screenplay. The climax is also an absolute letdown.
Karan’s direction is below the mark. Though the idea of film is different, the execution leaves a lot to be desired.
Another sore point of the film is its music. Barring two songs , the remaining numbers don’t contribute in enhancing the impact. Cinematography is functional. Although the story is set in the Rajasthan but it lacks fineness and gloss
Mahima dominates the show but her performance is just okay. Kiran Rathod gives a fair account of himself, while Vikram is dull. Padmini doesn’t impress and hams.
Shakti is there merely to flash a smile or two. Gulshan Grover and Shivafail to evoke mirth.All up Souten is too poor a fare to register any impact whatsoever. Below average.