Super fun movie! If you like black comedy and thriller twists, you will like this. It’s also a lot lighter than you might thing, the tone never shifts into depression and misery, it’s all just mystery and surprises and ridiculousness. On the other hand, if you don’t like twists and black comedy, maybe not.
The defining element for this movie for me is Kanika Dhillon. She is just SUCH an exciting scriptwriter!!!! And original. Her movies are distinctly her movies and no one else’s. She wrote Size Zero, Manmarziyan, Kedarnath, Judgmental Hai Kya, Guilty, and now this. Big star vehicles for actresses, complex heroines who dare to be selfish, and a keen awareness of the traps within patriarchal society for women. Most distinctive, a kind of an edge to the story where you aren’t sure if she is questioning the status quo, or maintaining it.
What she does in this film, and has done in others, is take a standard classic female storyline, and then bring it to an extreme of horror/violence/whatever. This odd mixture of subtle relationships and OVER THE TOP EVERYTHING. It doesn’t always work. In Judgmental Hai Kya, I found it way WAY too over the top. In Manmarziyan, I liked the total lack of over the topness, but other people found it bland. In this movie, I think she found a balance. Yes, it is INSANE starting in the middle. But that’s what makes it spicy, fun, interesting. The combo of the “yeah yeah, seen it before, relationship blah blah” and “whoa, did NOT see that coming!” makes it a distinctive movie that you will keep thinking about and won’t be able to look away from.
What also makes this film work is that the director and actors and everyone went all in on Kanika’s vision. Taapsee she’s worked with before in Manmarziyan, and this is a very similar role, a wild “bad girl” who really isn’t bad, just human. Vikrant Massay is AMAZING and perfectly cast. Thank goodness! After the travesty that was Ginny Weds Sunny, it was great to see him in a nice soft kind of role. And a role with a lot of range, he got to be scary and sweet and all kinds of things. And of course, Harshwardhan Rane was super hot, as required for his role. Most interesting was the director, Vinil Matthew who has only directed one movie before, Hasee To Phasee. Which was a cute romance that, at the same time had this strange disturbing edge hidden in it. This time, it is a strange disturbing edge with a romance in it. So, yaaaaay! No one is fighting Kanika’s weird WEIRD script!
And really, the script is the star. So many clever touches, so many little call backs to other moments, so many things happening in the background. Watch it for that, really. If you like clever subtle scripting, this is the one for you.
dontcallitbollywood 
I absolutely loved this film!!! I was watching it and enjoying every minute but at the same time I was scared it will go somewhere I don’t want it to go. Fortunately it didn’t.
It’s a must watch for Vikrant’s fans because he is amazing. He was so good I believed everything he did without questioning. His Rishi is already one of my fav characters ever. Also this movie has one of the best sex scenes. It was worth the waiting.
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Agree on all of this! Writing Spoiler review now.
On Thu, Jul 8, 2021 at 5:24 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I didn’t expect to like it but I really enjoyed it! Really great performances. I had to shield my eyes for some parts which you will surely discuss in the spoilers post, but that’s typical me. Vikrant was incredible in this role.
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Spoiler review up now! And I did NOT shield my eyes, but my friend did, and made me tell her what was happening.
On Thu, Jul 8, 2021 at 6:07 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Once the plan was in motion I knew what they would do so I pretty much fast-forwarded and got the general idea without having to see anything icky
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I totally loved the way it unfolded – maybe just a couple of quibbles on the logic but I get that it’s not supposed to be rock solid plausible – and all the performances. But isn’t the message an even more extreme version of what got everyone so mad at Kabir Singh? That moment with all the police officers nodding along approvingly to the one drop of blood line, are we supposed to take that as satire or deconstruction because the creator is a woman?
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I’m going with deconstruction, taking the argument to its logical extreme.
On Thu, Jul 8, 2021 at 6:09 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I was watching Taapsee thinking this is Badla plus Manmarziyan (didn’t realize it was the same writer) plus Thappad, with a dose of Kabir Singh and Gang Leader (probably there are other movies with mystery book based plots but that’s the one I know). Yet it works.
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PS I will say this was the satisfying movie watch I’ve been craving. Especially the heightened emotion – the K-dramas I’ve been watching are so reserved, not just physically but emotionally, that watching Taapsee do her unrepentantly frank and passionate character was a beautiful thing to watch. That scene with Harsh – phew! Somebody gimme a fan. And unleashed Vikrant brought it too.
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End of the spoilers review, I make you rank sexinesses. Prepare yourself for judgement!
On Thu, Jul 8, 2021 at 6:17 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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It sounds great, aside from the maintaining the status quo or undermining it bit, which scares me. I won’t be watching it for a while because I fell into a Christopher Lee shaped hole and am not getting out yet, but I will eventually.
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Watch Jinnah! For us ALL! I am supes curious about it, and you can pick between Christopher Lee and Shashi.
On Fri, Jul 9, 2021 at 1:06 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I know I should watch it but those traditional butcher’s hats don’t suit anyone, ever, AND it’s A Very Serious Important Movie and even with Shashi there I don’t know if I can make it. Maybe once I’ve burnt through the mountains of horror trash I still have lined up.
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