Manorama Six Feet Under

A colleague at work had suggested this movie for a weekend watch. The movie was downloaded and ready a week ago, but we finally caught it this weekend. Thankfully, the Arien was not inclined towards any other movie. Both of us had not read any reviews of this movie and the colleague had also not shared any snippets.

The movie begins in a small town in Rajasthan, where the Hero, Satyaveer Singh, who is an Engineer with the PWD (Public Works Department) has just been suspended on a bribery case. SV finds the town desolate and dry - just like his life. He starts his bike and as he is driving, he sees Yana Gupta in the middle of the road only to realize as he drives through that she is just an illusion his mind has conjured. As soon as he enters the house, he is greeted by his wife, Nimmi, who runs a beauty parlour. Nimmi is very unhappy to hear that he has been suspended and tries to comfort him but he cuts her off. She angrily retorts that she wished she had married the guy who had four saree shops instead of marrying him. So begins the fight which, like in most marriages, runs its course till it is way past dinner. A stranger, visits SV at his house just as they settle down to watch some TV. The lady wants to talk to SV alone and is aware that he moonlights as a writer. His first book, Manorama, sank without a trace having sold only 200 copies. The stranger states that she is the wife of the irrigation minister, Rathore, and wants SV to investigate her husband like his detective character in the book. She offers Rs. 10, 000 as an initial payment and offers to pay him a similar amount after the job is done. Because he is awaiting the results of the bribery investigation, he accepts the offer. He also discusses this with his bil, Brij, a policeman. What happens next is totally unexpected and he realizes firstly that the stranger is not the wife of the minister and before he realizes he is deep inside the web of lies, deceit, and greed. There are enough twists and turns to make the rest of the story interesting.

After a looong time, I saw a good hindi movie that had a very good story-line, a love story that was not over-the-top or filmy, actors who did a fantastic job and were well chosen. Although the narrative was a bit slow in places, I enjoyed the movie a helluva lot. In fact, this is the kind of movie you want to watch. The Arien felt the movie should have been edited tautly to make it a good thriller. Anyway, What works for this story is firstly Abhay Deol as Satyaveer Singh. Abhay with a mustache and aviator-like shades looks good and as usual, acts very well. Gul Panag as Nimmi, is amazing. Her stitched salwar suits, the nighties worn with a sweater, and her sharp retorts seem very natural. Vinay Pathak, as Brij, is equally good. Sarika as the mysterious stranger is also good. Catch it over a lazy weekend, as I did and share your thoughts.

Image Courtesy: IMP Awards (http://www.impawards.com)