Mela
- Director
- Anu Malik
- Studio
- Venus Records & Tapes
- Release Date
- 7 January 2000
- Language
- Hindi
- Budget
- ₹18.00 Cr
- Box Office
- ₹25.00 Cr
Review
Rajesh Khattar's *Mela* is a chaotic mess that mistakes loud spectacle for genuine storytelling. The film's premise—a grieving woman seeking vengeance—had potential for something gritty and meaningful, but instead we get a clumsy romance wrapped around a revenge plot that never earns its emotional stakes. Arijit Singh's performance carries an earnestness that the material doesn't deserve, while Jacqueline Fernandez looks perpetually confused, as if she's questioning the script herself. The direction is all over the place: one moment we're in a theatre troupe comedy, the next we're watching contrived action sequences that feel stitched together from a dozen other films. The carnival setting is used twice as a narrative convenience rather than a thematic anchor, and the twist with Roopa manipulating Kishan is rushed through without any real consequence or character development.
What truly fails here is the basic architecture of the story. The village trap against Gujjar collapses without explanation, forcing an underwhelming rescue subplot that derails whatever momentum existed. The final confrontation, which should be cathartic, plays out like a generic action climax with zero tension because we've spent the entire runtime watching cardboard villains and paper-thin relationships. Khattar mistakes scale for substance—bigger dances, louder explosions, more melodrama—but never bothers to make us care about these people or their struggles. The film wants to be a bold action-roman
Storyline
Roopa's world shatters when terrorists raid her village carnival and murder her beloved brother Ram and friend Gopal right before her eyes—all while the ruthless Gujjar Singh sets his predatory sights on her. Devastated and alone, she attempts to end it all by jumping into a waterfall, but survives with a burning desire for vengeance against Gujjar. Desperate and determined, she steals clothes from a theatre actor named Kishan and sneaks into his truck to chase down her enemy, setting off a chain of chaotic events that changes everything.
Kishan and his best friend Shankar initially want nothing to do with the mysterious girl hiding in their truck, but Kishan eventually falls for her charm and casts her in their dance show. Roopa plays along, feigning love for Kishan to manipulate both men into helping her return to Chandanpur, but her deception weighs heavy—she confesses everything, shattering Kishan's heart and earning Shankar's rage before he transforms into her protective brother figure. When they return home, the village sets an elaborate trap for Gujjar, but it crumbles spectacularly, forcing Kishan to return with Pakkad Singh to save the day.
The final confrontation explodes into pure action as another carnival becomes the battleground where Kishan, Shankar, and Roopa face off against Gujjar and his brutal gang. Gujjar dominates both men in combat, but Roopa refuses to back down, finally standing her ground against the monster who destroyed everything she loved. The climax is raw, visceral, and absolutely electrifying—a woman reclaiming her power and her dignity in the most spectacular way possible!
