Monday, 30 June 2014

Ek Villain :: Movie Review


Before, I went to see the movie, I had read all over that Ek Villain is a rip-off of South Korean revenge Drama namely  "I saw the Devil" & it might be one of those fluke remakes. But, Mohit Suri has done a pretty good job as Suri has taken the core of I Saw The Devil and turned it into a melodramatic, manipulative, pyaar-mohabbat-dardi-humdardi drama. Ek Villain begins with a massive plot twist right at the beginning. And just minutes into the film you’re left wondering, what will Mohit Suri do now, since he’s started with such a high point… That’s when his gripping reverse narrative comes into play. When you walk into the theatre to watch a thriller, you naturally expect the twists and turns in the tale to keep you at the edge of your seat. But that doesn’t happen in Ek Villain (you figure most of it out pretty soon). And by interval point, the suspense is out for all to see. However, the parallel past and present tracks blend intricately together to keep you glued to the screen. Told with an even pitch, the film isn’t anything like the run-in-the-mill stories we are subjected to watch every week. This is sheer compelling commercial cinema that has a lucid story and its heart in the right place, without indulging in anything stoop. 

STORY & SCREENPLAY                                            ::           The story of this flick has been penned down by Tushar Hiranandani & the dialogues have been written by Milap Jhaveri who have done commendable job.  Bollywood’s always been about the heroes. They hog the spotlight by thumping the baddies, pumping their muscles, flashing their six-pack abs and dancing with the beauties (heroines, and even the item girls). Basically, they make the movie. The rest of the cast get a raw deal, with the villains often left to growl, frown, roll their eyes, and get beaten before calling it quits. But, Filmmaker Mohit Suri with his writing team, however, decides to turn the tables, and elevate the state of the villains by telling a story that puts them in the spotlight. Only, his take on the bad guy is not really about the bad guy but a guy who poses like a bad guy. Diverting from the usual revenge dramas, the film’s narrative keeps the past and the present running parallel. The script is structured in such a way that at no point do these converge unnecessarily.  Coming to the storyline, Guru (Sidharth) is a gangster who works for the mafia man Caesar (Remo Fernandez). His dark past haunts him incessantly. But as fate would have it, his life crosses path with Aisha (Shraddha) the bubbly, vivacious girl who changes his life, adding sunshine to his morose being . The cold blooded murderer undergoes a stark transformation as love changes him completely. Just when the two were beginning to settle down into a happy, blissful married life, Aisha falls prey to a catastrophic event & is killed by a serial killer. Guru is lost without the love of his life and is determined to hunt down the culprit. Guru does find the miscreant Rakesh (Riteish) but cannot understand the reason behind his psychopathic nature. Does Guru understand Rakesh’s motives behind killing Aisha? Does Guru manage to get even with Rakesh? And mostly does Guru return to his dark, sinister world or carry forward in Aisha’s path of pristine living?

STARCAST                                                                           ::             Casting director of the movie is Aadore Mukherjee Mehra who has done a good job in choosing the right actors as per the characters. As far as performances go, Sidharth Malhotra’s brooding, painful act is a winner. He gets the angst and he gets the nuances of his chequered character so well that you wonder why people consider him as just a pretty boy. Sidharth Malhotra catapults himself ahead of all the young actors around, upping himself above the league of actors he is associated with. Riteish’s menacing act sends a shiver down your spine. Besides the fact that Ritesh’s Rakesh is probably one of the most complex and well-written negative characters Hindi cinema has seen in a while, the actor’s straight-faced wickedness is haunting. Deshmukh invests himself completely to the skin of his character and he is every bit damn good! Shraddha Kapoor is another revelation. She’s confident and she’s charming. The actress in Shraddha seems to have finally arrived. She fits into her character very neatly and does a stellar job. Shaad Randhawa who plays an intelligence cop manages to leave impression in his brief role & so does Aamna Sharief in the role of Riteish's wife's. Two actors who have not been able to do justice are Kamaal Rashid Khan & Remo Fernandez, although much is not expected out of them also. 

TECHNICAL FINESSE                                                                ::         The soundtrack of the movie which has been composed by Ankit Tiwari, Mithoon, Rabbi Ahmed, Adnan Dhool is already creating ripples in the music industry & is a chart buster. Two songs namely 'Teri Galiyan' and 'Banjare' are real soothing and stay with you. The cinematographer of this flick, Vishnu Rao has done a fabulous job. He has handled camera to perfection & has captured frames with utmost finesse. Some of the frames are a treat to watch. The movie has been edited by Devendra Murdeshwar who with his precise editing keeps you on the edge of your seat all through the run-time of 131 minutes. He has been able to keep the pace of the movie racy, taut and edgy. As a director, Mohit Suri has excelled manifold if compared to his previous works as, in Ek Villain, he tackles the complexities of all his lead characters beautifully. He breaks them down and delves deep into their minds to gratify the audience. Ek Villain may be a thriller but it tugs at your heart strings at various points with the way the main characters hold on to hope despite their obvious anguish and pain.

CONCLUSION                                                                                   ::             Though indulgent in parts, Ek Villain packs in a punch as it blends romance with an edgy thriller perfectly. Copy of a Korean film or not, it’s ‘good’ paisa vasool entertainment.

ROHIT SHARMA.
Follow me on twitter at  https://twitter.com/smgr105
rohitreview@gmail.com

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