A twisted tale of fate and love

Cast : Sidharth Malhotra, Shraddha Kapoor, Riteish Deshmukh, Aamna Sharif, Shaad Randhawa

Director : Mohit Suri

Droolworthy : Riteish Deshmukh’s intense performance, Prachi Desai in the ‘Awari’ song, the soothing music

Cringeworthy : Sidharth Malhotra’s inability to emote well

Rating : ***

Two ill-fated love stories entwined in a vicious circle of destiny, best describes Mohit Suri’s romantic drama ‘Ek Villain’.

Guru (Sidharth Malhotra) is a ruthless goon as his devastated past haunts him. He meets a dainty, cheerful Aisha (Shraddha Kapoor), who gives him a reason to be happy and love life. They move to Mumbai from Goa to start life afresh.

Parallelly, Rakesh Mahadkar, a lower middle-class telephone repairman, is saddened because his wife Sulochana (Aamna Sharif) considers him useless as he fails to meet her needs.

Though initially, these stories run parallel, they are connected together with a predicament. What follows is a series of grief, disappointment and lots of bloodshed.

The ‘Ek (only) Villain’ turns out to be Rakesh (Riteish). But in its true sense, Riteish is the real hero for his impeccable acting and the grim look he wears on his face. He emotes with intensity and his eyes are filled with passion and depth. When he is teary-eyed, you feel an excruciating pain in your heart. He deserves a standing ovation with a huge round of applause for breaking his comic stereotype and presenting us a fierce villain, yet so endearing.

Sidharth Malhotra tries hard to be an ‘angry young man’, but fails to impress. Shraddha Kapoor is at her usual best – fragile and full of life. Aamna Sharif puts her best foot forward as a cribbing housewife. Besides, Shaad Randhawa plays his part well as a police officer who wants to catch hold of Guru. Prachi Desai enthrals with her sizzling dance performance in the ‘Awari’ song; her blazing moves are coupled with an emotional streak in her eyes and face.

The script is well thought and planned and with slick editing and a thrilling screenplay, this one surely makes for a cinematic experience.

Drag yourself to the theatres today!

‘Chia’t your way to health

Come summer and the Indian households shall be seen hoarding the tiny black marvel –basil or chia seeds or ‘sabja’, as it’s fondly called in our homes. Sabja is an ingredient used in the Indian kitchens during summer in refreshments such as falooda, sherbet etc. When the weather outside is sweltering, sabja comes to our rescue as it provides a cooling effect to our digestive system and helps relieve indigestion.

Even though they are underrated as a nutritious food in India, these unsung heroes have found their mention in international lists of healthiest foods.

Here’s why these little champs should be a part of your daily diet:

Ward off that extra weight

Studies have found that chia seeds aid in weight loss as they reduce food cravings. They also make you feel full faster which means no loading up on extra calories. This is because of an amino acid, tryptophan, found in chia seeds, that also helps regulate appetite, sleep and improve mood.

OMG! Omega-3!!!

Omega-3 fatty acids play a vital role in maintaining brain health as wells as protecting against inflammation such as arthritis and also help in preventing heart disease. It’s also credited for maintaining cell membrane by protecting the skin and providing it with moisture. Chia seeds are the richest plant source of Omega-3 and hence are a beauty food too.

The Protein Punch

You’re a vegetarian and worried about your protein intake? The superhero chia is your life-saviour as it’s one of the greatest sources of protein. Even greater news is that they don’t have cholesterol.

Fab Fibre

Fibre is crucial for one’s digestive health and chia seeds are full of fibre as only a 28-gram serving of these seeds contain 11 gram of dietary fibre which equals to one third of the recommended daily intake for adults.

Brawny Bones and Tougher Teeth

Chia seeds are loaded with calcium which in turn helps in maintaining bone and oral health and preventing osteoporosis.

Do away with Diabetes

Few researches have indicated that chia seeds slow down digestion and can control blood sugar. This makes it a potential natural treatment for diabetics.

So what are you waiting for? Stock up on these little wonders and improve your health and change your life!