7 Khoon Maaf
Maxabout Review
Average
Friday, February 18, 2011The very thought of watching a Vishal Bhardwaj movie excites a film buff no end. Right from Makdee to Kaminey, Vishal Bhardwaj's body of work stands out from the rest. The forward-thinking movie maker's fixation for adapting novels and plays is known to all and sundry by now. Continuing with his practice of adapting from the written form, the extremely talented story teller now adapts Ruskin Bond's short story 'Susanna's Seven Husbands' for his new outing 7 Khoon Maaf. Known for walking the strange path, Vishal Bhardwaj tells an unconventional story yet again of a woman who marries multiple times, following the early death of her husbands.
Till a few years ago, no one would've ever thought of making a movie on a woman who marries, remarries, weds again, ties the knot yet again in fact, she walks down the aisle many times. That's not all, the woman, we are told, kills each of her husbands consequently. The theme might come as a jolt to the trditional moviegoers, since the wives on the Hindi screen are either depicted as docile and dutiful or severely independent and ambitious. The question is, will the orthodox Indian audience absorb a theme like this? It's offensive, some may opine. Imagine a murderous bride, some may rant.
There's talk that 7 Khoon Maaf is also loosely inspired from an Italian film by the name Sette Volte Donna aka Woman Times Seven [1967], helmed by Vittorio De Sica. That one depicted 7 short stories with adultery as the main point. Shirley MacLaine, the protagonist, binds these stories together. However, the similarity could be coincidental and not an effort to copy that movie.
Now let me come to the point! 7 Khoon Maaf works in parts. A few stories involving Neil Nitin Mukesh, John Abraham, Irrfan Khan and Annu Kapoor - are absorbing, while at least two could've been better narrated - Naseeruddin Shah and Aleksandr Dyachenko. The awkward part is that the boring ones come in the latter half and coupled with its excessive length, the effect generated by a appealing Ist hour gets diluted in the process. Even the culmination doesn't sweep you off your feet.
Not just the unusual plot, even the execution of the subject material is offbeat and unusual. There are many instances in the narrative where the spectator has to stay very, very attentive. Unlike other movies, Vishal Bhardwaj wants his audience to stay attentive and use his mind while watching the many stories in 7 Khoon Maaf. In one sequence, the camera zooms and the funeral changes into a marriage, while another sequence shows the marriage transforming into a funeral. Also, the mystery of the killer with 5 fingers and one toe is disentangled towards the end, but the sequence doesn't register as effectively thanks to the way it has been depicted.
Susanna (Priyanka Chopra) is unlucky in love. Her first husband, Major Edwin (Neil Nitin Mukesh), is overtly possessive and dubious. After his death, Susanna marries Jimmy (John Abraham) as she is floored by his musical talent. Jimmy becomes successful, but with success comes girls and drugs. He dies of drug overdose. Enter Wasiullah aka Musafir (Irrfan Khan). Impressed by his poetry, Susanna marries him, but finds that he's a romantic in daytime, but a beast at night. He too gets eliminated. Susanna falls for the suave Nicolai (Aleksandr Dyachenko) from Moscow, but this marriage doesn't last long as Susanna findss that Vronsky has a wife in Russia. Following the death of a foreign national, the police start taking keen interest in the case. The officer Keemat Lal (Annu Kapoor) enters Susanna's life. Initially, he asks for sexual favors and later, convinces her to marry him. He dies due to heart attack. After the death of Keemat Lal, Susanna marries Dr. Modhusudon (Naseeruddin Shah). Susanne is sad and he puts her on a mushroom only diet. But he's the first guy in her life who wants to get rid of her. Instead, she murders him. In the end, Susanna marries yet again for the 7th time. This time, to someone who knows she has committed the murders and sins. What happens next?
Though Priyanka is shown killing her husbands with the help of her ever-faithful staff, let this be told that it's not a scary orterrible experience. Sure, it's intense, but at the same time Bhardwaj adds humor in the narrative and that's the prime reason why the narrative never gets heavy or serious. I'd like to say this movie is in a space of its own.
Also, though the protagonist marries and remarries, you don't feel any type of hatred or hate for the character. On the contrary, one understands with her never-ending pursuit for true love. One feels the pain, isolation and tragedy that she goes through and that's what makes her the woman that she ultimately turns out to be. Wicked, she is, but Bhardwaj gives reasons for her to get rid of those men. The reasons, in most cases, are convincing. But the transition from one man/husband to another is so sudden that Susanna comes across as a desperate lady hankering for yet another marriage.
Vishal Bhardwaj, the writer, leaves the audience clueless about the 2 stories in the 2nd hour. Fine, Susanna had learnt that her Russian husband had a wife and 2 kids tucked away in Russia, but the manner in which the whole case is solved leaves you puzzled. In fact, one often wonders if it was so easy to murder a person and move on in life. How could the law enforcement remain a silent viewer in spite of multiple murders/mysterious deaths involving the same woman? The writing didn't appear foolproof and convincing to me.
Vishal Bhardwaj shares yet another responsibility in his movies handling the music department. One is assured that Vishal Bhardwaj would come up with lilting and high quality compositions, but the soundtrack of 7 Khoon Maaf is strictly okay. The Indian version of the Russian song 'Kalinka', 'Darling', is already a rage and it goes without saying that it's the best track of the enterprise. Rendered brilliantly, the song is sure to be one of the reasons why people will be tempted to watch the movie.
Always prepared to accept challenges in her career Aitraaz, Yakeen, Fashion and raising the bar with her performances, Priyanka Chopra accepts the challenge to depict ages from 21 to 65 in 7 Khoon Maaf. It must've been a difficult task to get the different age-groups right, but she proves her great acting potential yet again. Known to be an actress who stays true to every character that she is portraying, Priyanka gives yet another sparkling, award worthy performance this time. There are many love-making sequences with her husbands and Priyanka has handled those bold sequences without inhibitions.
Amongst the remaining cast, Annu Kapoor leaves the maximum effect. He's simply outstanding! John doesn't really get much scope, Neil is effective, Irrfan is amazingly restrained, Naseer is believable and Aleksandr is passable. Vivaan Shah, who tells the story of Susanna, is a talent to watch out for. Though it's his maiden movie as an actor, it doesn't seem like one. He is not your regular debutant and that's what makes his character appear so real. Konkona Sen Sharma does well. Usha Uthup and the 2 male helps are good.
On the whole, 7 Khoon Maaf is a dark movie that has its share of positives and negatives. However, the movie will meet with varied reactions some will fancy it, while some will abhor it. The movie will appeal more to the critics/columnists and the festival circuit. However, it is not the type of cinema that will set the box-office ablaze.