RGV a superb filmmaker who gave us RANGEELA(1995) and several more great films, not forgetting SATYA(1998). He had several heroines who were his muse, Urmila was one of them. She was a constant fixture since RANGEELA till Antra Mali took her place followed by Nisha Kothari. RGV used to experiment with films and make quality films, especially since COMPANY, SARKAR his films were looked for by the audience, he introduced new talents too with his films, one such talent is Sriram Raghavan.Urmila too after doing roles which exposed her looks and dance, changed herself and took roles of substance. EK HASEENA THI came when she had started doing roles of substance with Bhoot and Pinjar and the disaster Tehzeeb notwithstanding. Ek Haseena Thi reminds us of Bangkok Hilton(which was remade as Gumrah(1993) starring Sridevi, Sanjay Dutt and Rahul Roy). Also takes scenes from The Bone Collector and other films but the film is treated brilliantly. The film starts off quite well though it's bit hard to digest the way Urmila suddenly gets close to Saif without knowing much of him, but then the story shifts gears and the way things are handled is superb, The jail scenes are simply superb, her escape(hardly anything filmy, thankfully no disguises). The first half is simply superb, The second half too is superb, Saif's murky business, The way he gets trapped, Urmila's revenge are brilliantly portrayed, even the end is unconventional and superbDirection by Sriram Raghavan is simply superb, he does give tribute to his mentor whose touch is visible but yet carves his niche superbly Sriram is a 70s filmy buff though and gives tribute to old films, here done subtely compared to Johny Gaddar and Agent Vinod, There is a small clip showing Mehmood dancing to Maaf Karo from Do Phool(1974). There is only 1 song which is in the background and thankfully no naach gaana Camera-work is superb, Background music is awesomeUrmila Matondkar who proved her talent with Bhoot, Pinjar does a superb job, conveying all emotions, revenge perfectly, She is perfectly cast only quibee is her make up in jail portions, it would be better if she was shown without make up and also her dress change, but that doesn't take anything from her performance. Saif Ali Khan too turned a new leaf since DCH and started experimenting, He plays a villain perfectly and shows his versatility, he never overacts or makes faces, giving a true natural performance He had done a negative role in Kya Kehna but this one is different and does a superb job, after this he played a villain in Omkara again and rest is history. Seema Biswas is superb as the cop, Pratima Kazmi is again brilliant, The Late Rasika Joshi is simply brilliant, Aditya Shrivastav again proves his mettle, he is fabulous, Kavita Kaushik has a cameo, Madan Joshi is apt, Zakir Hussain is terrific in a scene Abhay Bhargav is perfect, The jail mates are all terrific Gopal Singh as Abhijit is superbSadly the film didn't do well at the B.O. as Saif still didn't have a solo hit but he got it with Hum Tum in the same year, rest assured

Raghavan's stunning directorial debut 'Ek Hasina Thi' keeps you at the edge of your seat from the very beginning. It is gripping, well paced, wonderfully acted and terrifically executed. The screenplay is excellent and the editing is superb. With this and 'Johnny Gaddaar', Raghavan seems to have mastered the thriller genre. Not only does he maintain the element of suspense so well (which is a crucial ingredient for a successful thriller), but his films (at least the first two) are solidly written and filmed. The background score and cinematography are very effective. Saif Ali Khan is very good as the caddish, smoothtalker who finally manages to charm the innocent Sarika. Saying more would be revealing too much about the character. Seema Biswas is great as the brutal cop who has a strong hatred towards criminal and Pratima Kazmi has already mastered the role of a queenpin. Yet, where performances are concerned, 'Ek Hasina Thi' belongs to Urmila Matondkar. She is spellbinding as the cautious but vulnerable city lass, the desperate inmate who is hardened by her surrounding and finally the not-to-be-messed-with woman on a mission. This woman was born for acting and I so wish she continued doing films today.

i think this flick is one of the best so far from RGV factory ... urmila has proved herself again and again .. But this movie has proved that she doesn't need big banners to impress her critics or viewers ! her acting is one of the best seen in bollywood history to date. even bhoot looks pale in front of it i think Saif should be ranked as the most outstanding khan of bollywood ! the new director shows talents .... this movie is only 2 hrs long which is a complete surprise for bollywood i think makers like yash chopra karan johar should incorporate such techniques in their movies and try to bring such talents in front of viewers instead of being stereotypes best this movie which guarantees you wont be disappointed ... saif and urmila will be a treat 2 watch !

From producer Ram Gopal Varma and director Sriram Raghavan comes a pretty good revenge thriller, which is definitely one of the better Indian movies this year.Cast against his usual roles, Saif Ali Khan plays a slick criminal whose dealings with terrorists and the Delhi underworld get his girlfriend Sarika (Urmila Matondkar) into prison. However, toughened by prison life, Sarika manages to escape and takes revenge.Progressing somewhat slowly during the first 15 minutes, but then gaining momentum at an increasing pace, this movie never slows down and manages to keep your interest for the full duration, which at only 120 minutes is significantly less than most Bollywood movies. There are also no disruptive song or dance sequences that would distract you from the plot.In fact, one of the problems that I have with this movie is that it is a bit too short -- in particular the prison sequence seems rushed: Sarika's character development from the innocent, naive girl to the tough, cold-blooded killer is not fully developed and feels a bit sudden as a result.My second problem is with the ending, which, while not inappropriate, feels a bit out of line with her previous revenge strategy. It still works fine, but one feels that it could have been built up better.Other than that, however, there are no obvious problems with the plot, and acting is good from most main and supporting actors. Seema Biswas in particularly stands out in her role as the determined female police officer in pursuit of Sarika.Definitely worth watching, and much better than anything Hollywood, USA has produced in this genre in a long time.