7 Khoon Maaf review

7 Khoon Maaf

Reviewed by Sab Khan

 

The long awaited movie 7 Khoon Maaf, is a female oriented roller coaster ride about a black widow, who is not bound to any fixations and could cross any limitations to seek true love and happiness in life. Playing the multi-dimensional character is Priyanka Chopra, who in recent times has proven her acting skills. 7 Khoon Maaf is an extraordinary show for people who love watching drama movies with generous hints of crime, murder, love and mystery. So if you are setting up your mood for a jerky ride of entertainment, better get the tickets for this movie- they are selling off fast.

Vishal Bhardwaj, whose last films Ishqiya and Kaminey surpassed all box office and critical expectations bases the story of this film on Ruskin Bond’s book, Susanne’s Seven Husbands. Susanne (Priyanka) is a black widow who, in search of happiness and love marries seven different men but her relationships don’t exactly end the way she wants them to. She plans up bloody revenges and executes them to perfection. Playing Susanne’s seven unfortunate husbands in the movie are Naseeruddin Shah, Irrfan Khan, John Abraham, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Anu Kapoor, Aleksandr Dyachenko, and Vivaan Shah.

The mystified darkness of the movie reveals the story turn by turn. From the very first scene, the movie is gripping and makes the audience anxious for more. Most women should relate to Susanne’s character, not because she commits murder but because of the inner passion and desires that remain uncultivated in her. Probably the difference lies in the fact that she took extreme steps to change her circumstances and most of us don’t dare. Even though, she’s been a murderer using techniques ranging from poisoning and gun fire, we don’t blame her for her real cause. Her typical male-dominating husbands are portrayed as the usual chauvinistic “man next door” who beat their wives up, dictate them, are aggressive or just use their women for sexual gratification. Though women are a lot empowered these days and do raise their voices, Susanne is someone who prefers to change it in her own way. Though bloody, the hope for change is heart touching for the oppressed women who watch the film.

The director did an enormous job in manipulating the entire seven husbands respectively. It was one of Priyanka Chopra’s best performances as she maintains her stance as the centre of attraction. Vishal’s music and Gulzar’s lyrics, as proven in their previous collaborations, could never go to waste. Vishal cleverly uses each track to musically represent the relationships and characters. 7 Khoon Maaf is an absolute must watch for this weekend!

Rating: 4.75/5

Yeh Saali Zindagi Review

Yeh Saali Zindagi

Reviewed by staff reviewer

Let me get this straight first. I absolutely love Chitrangada Singh and the fact that she left the film industry right after something like Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi left me wondering what went wrong. But then one fine morning while on a flight I got to see her in Onir's Sorry Bhai and actually believed she did the right thing by leaving. But now after joining hands with Sudhir Mishra and coming out with something as twisted as Yeh Saali Zindagi, I am left to wonder again, "Why did she leave again?"

I don’t know whether it’s about me not trying hard enough for details or the film makers not revealing enough, but I had little idea about Yeh Saali Zindagi, except for the fact that it managed to outdo Mallika Sherawat’s record number of onscreen kisses (17 for Khwahish). Well, in 2011, that didn’t make it a big deal for me. I mean I do watch enough English movies and TV shows to be immune to any passionate or slobbering kisses. What intrigued me was the pairing of Irrfan Khan and Chitrangada Singh. While Khan has his own macho manliness without the good looks, Singh is hotness at a different level.

The entire movie is quite dark and probably shadily funny in the sense that majority of characters are rogue businessmen, criminals or corrupt politicians and policemen. But don’t think Ram Gopal Verma dark and shady- Mishra manages to make a dark plot stylish as well. It’s a Delhi based movie and the last one I saw (No One Killed Jessica) left my mother struggling to believe curse words had become “normal”. Yeh Saali Zindagi has its own liberal share of curse words as well. With the kind of characters in the movie, it probably would have looked weird if they talked in Gulzar Hindi in the first place.

Calling Chitrangada Singh only the love interest in the film would probably be wrong, but you watch and you decide. With the amount of plots, sub plots and maybe sub sub plots as well, you tend to lose track once in a while but Mishra’s films are seldom no-brainers and you need to be alert for Yeh Saali Zindagi as well. I wish the movie was either a little more tightly edited or the characters defined more. Still would like to know what Irrfan Khan’s business was in Yeh Saali Zindagi. 

Rating: 2.5/5