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Tag: Murder Mystery

  • Murder Mubarak: Social Satire Meets Ensemble Whodunnit

    Murder Mubarak: Social Satire Meets Ensemble Whodunnit

    Murder Mubarak: Social Satire Meets Ensemble Whodunnit

    A murder of the gym trainer Leo at a posh Delhi club opens a can of worms. Everyone is a suspect where the dark secrets of Delhi High Society Club patrons are at stake. A charming outsider ACP Bhavani Singh investigates the case in Agastha Christie’s desi Poirot style.

    The best part of the movie is the ensemble cast and loyalty to Anuja Chauhan’s brilliant writing and class satire.

    Pankaj Tripathi is back in action and is effective – just another day for him at the office. Sanjay Kapoor is brilliant and continues his Merry Christmas form as a royal Rannvijay Singh – tipping 20 rupees but packing food to cover his dilapidated ruined status. Karisma Kapoor is equally magical as a former diva and B-grade movie star of C-grade movies. Vijay Varma and Dimple Kapadia are not given due justice and feel wasted – their arc should have been stronger. Sara Ali Khan tries up to keep things moving but she has a long way to go. A lot more characters like Tisca Chopra add colour to the proceedings though in a very fleeting manner.

    The Delhi class divide is beautifully portrayed. “Poor people should die young!” announces Tisca Chopra or the fact that two trainers from Arunachal and Karnataka are called twins. Smart writing exists – ACP Bhavani says “It’s easy to be branded anti-national these days!”

    The movie sticks to its genre and the secretive layers get unveiled gradually to keep us hooked. Though the movie could have done with sharper editing and crisper execution.

    This is no ‘Knives Out’ nor Homi’s own ‘Being Cyrus!’

    Watch it once for Pankaj Tripathi and Idiosyncrasies of Delhi Gentry!

  • ‘Monica O My Darling’ Review: Womaniya Blast In A Musical Comic Thriller!

    ‘Monica O My Darling’ Review: Womaniya Blast In A Musical Comic Thriller!

    A taut pop culture rich thriller with unapologetic eccentric characters! A social climber has it all – great job, beautiful fiancé and a bright future – till things go south! A femme fatale secretary and a kick-ass police officer create a mad energy of its own! And there are murders along the way!

    Huma Qureshi & Radhika Apte have a blast in the intriguing murder mystery! Huma Quereshi is a riot. Radhika Apte is completely sassy. Lovely to see them enjoying in their well-written characters. Rajukumar Rao does a great job but he has been there, done that. A great ensemble cast.

    The music is terrific and adds to the quirky fun. Songs like ‘ Yeh Ek Zindagi’, ‘Love you so much that I want to kill you’ ‘Bye Bye Adios’ etc are a character in itself!

    Smart writing, strong screenplay, fabulous dialogues, marvellous acting and outstanding music make it a nice watch. Editing could have been better. Director Vasan Bala creates a cool cocktail of Johnny Gaddar, Sriram Raghavan and James Hadley Chase novels.

    Worth a watch!

  • Book Review – Night of January 16th

    Book Review – Night of January 16th

    Night of January 16th is a murder mystery where audience plays the Jury.

    Night of January 16th is actually a play and is inspired by the death of the “Match King”, Ivar Kreuger. It takes place entirely in a court room and is centered on a murder trial. The most interesting part is that the play was designed to let audience decide the outcome of the trial. Thus the ending of the play is not certain. It depends on the audience (reader) and their perceptions and thinking and their ideals.

    The members of the audience are picked to take on the role of jury members in each act. The play does not directly portray the events; instead the “jury” must rely on character testimony and vote on whether the “defendant” is guilty or not guilty. The play has different endings depending on the verdict. Ayn Rand’s own verdict was “not guilty”.

    Another Amazing Work by Ayn Rand !