Ek Hasina Thi

Sriram Raghavan's first film, from 2004, is counted among the pictures that changed the direction of the thriller in Indian cinema. Sarika is a solitary woman in an ordinary job who meets a charming, mysterious businessman and attaches to him quickly. The relationship collapses when his underworld connections surface; she is arrested for crimes he committed and goes to prison. The prison section is the hardest part of the film, and when she comes out she is someone else, planning her revenge patiently and step by step. Raghavan builds tension through preparation and timing rather than large action. Urmila Matondkar's performance is among the most cited of her career, and Saif Ali Khan plays an entirely unsympathetic part. Who it's for: viewers who like Indian thrillers and revenge narratives. Who it's not for: anyone unprepared for the violence in the prison sequences and the harshness of the tension.