MONICA O' MY DARLING : MOVIE REVIEW

 


MONICA O' MY DARLING : MOVIE REVIEW 


Lets start with the conclusion first : - Must Watch 


If you have about 2 hours & 10 mins to spare, then please go ahead & indulge yourself in this very fantastic entertainer. It’s a 130 minute edge of the seat ride that takes you through numerous twists & turns and keeps you waiting for the next swing. Here comes a scintillating movie with dark twisted comedy that one gets to see only once in a while in Bollywood cinema. For those who like a sneak peek for a quick preview, this should suffice – Must watch


It is very difficult to capture the thrill of a whodunit story but to have a witty narrative around it and yet come out with flying colours is quite a big task.

Bollywood genres are usually slapstick comedy, which are mostly over the top or some pure mystery storylines, which fail to keep the suspense alive in most parts. To weave these two genres together and keep the entire plot & sub plots is like walking on a tight rope and a big Thumbs Up to writer director Vasan Bala.

 

RKR is as accomplished as always. Small mannerisms and a little twitch here & there & he fills the screen with his presence. Huma Qureshi as a seductive scamster does exceedingly well. She has that Oomph factor and a drool worthy performance indeed. Radhika Apte whole plays the roles of a sassy cop, is a breath of fresh air. Most of her earlier roles have been of some sultry siren but in this she just waltz past with some quirky dialogues like “Dheela chodhen ka re, feel ke saath … “ and even her entire demeanour makes you fall in love with the character. Though it’s a short role, her style, swag & smile is very contagious. Sikander Kher as Nishikant plays a nice small cameo & he too could have done with some more screen time.


The story is very simple in this edge of the seat whodunit caper. A small time boy tying to make it big in the corporate world and in the process falls prey to blackmail. The narrative runs at a fast paced and keeps you engaged throughout. The old time hit – Monica O’ my Darling – the title track for this movie, plays seamlessly in retro mode blending in the background throughout the movie. Overall, the title song and the retro music adds to the flavour of the mystery story. Murders happen hard & fast but the entire class lies in maintaining the pace and the comedy interludes. In one scene, a murder plot is being hatched in a dinghy room of a shady hotel. In midst of this tense drama, the lights suddenly go off & a random guy from some other room, rushes out in the darkness wearing a towel around his waist and is running around swearing in chaste’ Marathi. It’s a 10 sec, you "blink & you miss", scene but it’s hilarious just the same & the timing is impeccable. The entire movie is laced with such comical instances, right to the very last frame.

Surely, there are a few bumps along the way and if one was in the nit-picking mood, one would find a few a flaws. Well, after all nothing is perfect & so also this film. What is good however, is the way, the narrative is stitched and presented.

 

Yzen Says : MUST WATCH

Rating : 4.5 / 5   

OTT : NETFLIX


 

P:S – Its refreshing to see actors like RKR (and Ayushman Khurana, Neil Nitin Mukesh or even Abhay Deol) revel in such “off-beat”, “non-commercial” films. These films away from the run of the mill factory line productions, the narratives are amazingly unique & the direction & story telling is crisp and invigorating. Reminds me of the 80’s & 90’s when versatile actors like Om Puri, Naseerudin Shah, Anupam Kher & the likes used to dabble in what was then known as “art cinema”.

 


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