Film:
Ek Villain
Director:
Mohit Suri
Genre:
Romantic thriller
Cast:
Riteish Deshmukh, Siddharth Malhotra, Shraddha Kapoor, Remo Fernandes and Aamna Sharif.
Rating:
***
SPOILERS AHEAD
Is this the love story of a villain? A good guy turning villain, or a villain turning into a good guy? Too much of confusion? Not with Mohit Suri's
, it seems.
Unlike most of the below average stuff Bollywood unleashes on us every Friday, Ek Villain stands out for its ingenuity: the story is intriguing, the suspense dark and haunting. And, it does not leave you even more confused!
Ek Villain's premise is simple, almost bordering on the routine : it's a thrilling story of a gangster-turned-good () with love and a psycho killer who lives in the guise of an middle-class 'good' man. When the two confront each other, you know what happens. In between, however, Ek Villain offers blood-chilling murders and nail-biting suspense, and that's what makes it worth a watch. If you love suspense dramas, the fast-paced second half will keep you on the edge.
As for the performances, Siddharth Malhotra tries too hard to get into the character of a typical Bollywood gangster -- one who picked the gun because he was wronged. He looks too innocent to play the character of a man struggling to tame his anger and hatred. In one scene, he walks into a dimly-lit theatre playing Amitabh Bachchan's blockbuster film, Shehanshah, and we couldn't stop comparing the two. Yes, we know, it's unfair comparison, but the fact remains: you need to be the Big B to pull it off.
As for the performances, Siddharth Malhotra tries too hard to get into the character of a typical Bollywood gangster -- one who picked the gun because he was wronged. He looks too innocent to play the character of a man struggling to tame his anger and hatred. In one scene, he walks into a dimly-lit theatre playing Amitabh Bachchan's blockbuster film, Shehanshah, and we couldn't stop comparing the two. Yes, we know, it's unfair comparison, but the fact remains: you need to be the Big B to pull it off.
IN PICS: COMEDY NIGHTS WITH VILLAINS
Shraddha Kapoor, who plays the love interest of Guru (Siddharth) (an irritating girl who overtly kiddish in her behaviour), does a good job of playing a girl who wants to live her life to the fullest before her life ends due to her illness.
However, more than Siddharth or Shraddha, it is Riteish Deshmukh who steals the show with a stellar performance. From playing a disgruntled employee who's called "more useless than a xerox machine" to a psycho who goes about killing women who call him "useless" just so that it'd stop him from killing his wife who also calls him thus, Riteish is by far the biggest surprise of this film.
Talking about his Ek Villain role, Riteish had told IANS, "Genelia always tells me to do a negative role or a darker shade. When Ek Villain was offered to me I just thought this is it. Everyone came together. As an actor it's exciting. In Ek Villain my role is very different. It has been a great experience," he said.
Mohit Suri offers another surprise: Kamal R Khan, who plays Riteish's friend and an abusive husband who beats up his wife just so that men can establish their superiority. Irritating? Surely.
Watch Ek Villain for an amazing performance by Riteish Deshmukh, the music (which is already a hit) and a well-knit plot. This is certainly not a film you would want to miss.