Saat khoon, no maafi.

7 Khoon Maaf

Reviewed by Sunanda Pati

Heartwrenching, cold-blooded, passionate, sinful, clever... I wish at least one of these adjectives could court Saat Khoon Maaf. But alas, Vishal Bharadwaj's newest offering fails to shake or stir. It seems like a great opportunity gone waste for Ruskin Bond's short story 'Susanna's Seven Husbands' have been Bollywoodised and pretty badly at that. Seen through the eyes of narrator Arun Kumar (Naseeruddin Shah's son), the story rests upon the deeds of a certain beautiful woman named Susanna (played by Priyanka Chopra. After watching this film, I really think the name Piggy suits her better). From the ravages of a jealous husband-in-uniform to the sickly erotic fantasies of a Kashmiri poet, poor Susanna has to bear torture and trauma for a great pursuit. And, that great pursuit's name in the film is love. Pure love. I wish Mr. Bharadwaj were clearer about the kind of love Susanna is really in search of. From falling for the charms of a shallow musician named Jimmy (played by John Abraham) to finding a soulmate in Russian Nikolai Vronsky (who, by the way, fails to tickle you with his 'mere paas ma hain' act), Susanna keeps repeating the mistake of making all the wrong men her husband. In line with the original story, Susanna kills each one of them. But the film fails to portray the intensity of Susanna's passionate love and do justice to the way she experiences scorn and hatred. Susanna's angst doesn't touch me. And, that's the biggest problem.

Well, that doesn't mean the film has nothing good about it. Naseeruddin Shah is splendid as Modhusudhan Tarafdar (quite adeptly he pronounces it perfect Bong-style 'taw-roph-dar') and Neil Nitin Mukesh as the sadist General Rodriguez. Now back to my bashing best, John Abraham is yet again successful in being a ham and Alexander Dyachenko is pathetic. Even if one were to forgive these unpalatable performances, it would be because Bhardwaj composed a brilliant score. But no, this tackily presented murder movie doesn't even have that. As my temples throb, I can't help but hear a faint 'Jag ja re gudiya'...

A beautiful story of a woman's soulful search for love has been bungled. I wouldn't take away from the little thrill the film provides by giving away the plot. I'd rather watch Omkara once every day rather than Saat Khoon even once. And, I'd rather wait for Bharadwaj's next, in hope.

Rating: 2/5