But what does make this take on the Neeraj Grover murder case too much to handle is RGV's treatment of it. The case deserved an insightful handling, particularly of the psychological aspects, but alas, RGV is content to offer the viewer a movie that borders precariously on soft porn, with a lot of skin showing and raw lust. The movie 'touches' only the 'surface', literally!
And there's the incorrigible energy of the camera, which seems to have taken a dose of steroids - it makes you dizzy with zip zap movements that rapidly change angles, zooming in and out of both faces and clothes - and the loud background score by Sandeep Chowta which directly penetrates into your brain.
The Plot
Nothing new to say here. The plot is based on the real life murder of Neeraj Grover by Emile Jerome, assisted by Maria Susairaj. Anushka Chawla (Mahie Gill) comes to Mumbai all starry-eyed, willing to do anything to get a role in movies. After several rejections, she does it too, in return for a 'favour' from Ashish (Ajai Gehi) who offers her a role finally. Enter the extremely possesive boyfriend Robin (Deepak Dobriyal) who finds Ashish in bed with Anushka and batters him to death in a fit of rage.
The two then chop up the body into several pieces as Susairaj and Jerome were said to have done, and dispose it off. The effect is brought out through the expressions of the two actors, who have done a good job of it. Lots of raw passion goes in through the scenes, and what you see is not a love story as RGV kindly warns us, but merely lust.
But that's not the end of it. Police investigations begin with the hunt for the missing Ashish, and soon the duo are caught. Post-interval is all about the trial, which could have been better if RGV had taken the trouble to give us something more than what's common knowledge. Unfortunately, he fails to give his audience anything to ponder about or question, fails to take a stand on the matter, or give different versions of the crime. In short, the movie disappoints.
The Movie
As said, it is the camera and the background score that take the lion's share here. The hand-held camera is all over the place, and the scene in the mall where Anushka buys a knife to chop the body is even said to have been shot with an Apple iPhone. RGV's favourite Rangeela track plays often, and you just about wish the movie too had been as good. Theatrical scenes and hysteria are aplenty, and a continuously sobbing Anushka and a maniacal Robin don't make it any easier on the senses.
Performances
Gill and Dobriyal are quite gripping in their portrayal of Susairaj and Jerome, but their efforts seem wasted in the absence of more intellectually stimulating script. You are left wondering if Gill has been actually exploited here, what with all those scenes that explore her legs and cleavage than the extreme mental crisis she has plunged into.
Ajai Gehi as Ashish, the executive of a production company is good enough, while the others are average.
Verdict
It was a murder that had captured the imagination of a nation, but unfortunately, the movie does not really capture your attention. It's gory and horrifc at times, but that's about all. We had all been waiting for RGV's take on it, but he disappoints big time, yet again.
0 comments:
Post a Comment