SAAT KHOON MAAF - movie review

                                                                     
Your past legacy holds a lot in ur favour and when it comes to legacies like Makdee,Blue umbrella, Maqbool,Omkara,Kaminey and the recent Ishqiya,then definitely expectations are sky high...add to that a name like Vishal Bharadwaj,one of the most celebrated film makers in recent times,someone who's films are based on Shakespeare's classics (Maqbool,Omkara)...couple it up with a  classic short story by Ruskin Bond 'Sussana's seven husbands' and u cant expect anything less than a brilliant cinema.....And to achieve that brilliance,Vishal Bharadwaj tests our patience ths time with his Priyanka chopra,Naseeruddin shah,Irfan khan,John abrahm,Vivaan shah,Neil nitin mukesh starrer SAAT KHOON MAAF.....

Its a dark and daring film about a woman's journey from her 20's to her late 50's where she falls for the wrong man everytime she claims to be in love! and the problem with the film is as soon as one husband gets killed,she jumps to the next man and voila!she falls in love again! The original story by Ruskin bond is a thrilling black comedy which keeps the readers hooked up untill the end but the problem with Vishal's adaptation is that its becomes too predictable when the screenplay falls into a pre set pattern where u know whats gonna happen next....
So here,our very own desi Sussana falls for--


Husband no. 1: A handicapped Major Rodricks (Neil Nitin Mukesh) who's suspicious of her and impotent as well..
Wot to do?--feed him to a man eating panther


Husband no. 2:  A rockstar,drug addict Jimmy (John Abrahm) who sings stupid songs('meri billi boli meaaow'),sings mechanically on stage with his female fans throwing brassiere at him,roams around with his two bimbettes wearing their nighties and getting bubble bath and playing 'chor police' with them!!!
Wot to do?-- simple...syringe loaded with narcotics...push it thru his veins!


Husband no. 3: A sadist urdu poet who's a romantic during daytime and a beast at night
Wot to do?-- dig him alive in his own grave


Husband no. 4: A two timing Russian Spy
Wot to do?-- poisonous snakes anyone?


Husband no. 5: Keemat laal,a lust driven aged police officer
Wot to do?-- overdose of viagra!!


Husband no. 6: Modhusudon Tarafdar,an old fashioned natural pharmacist who marries her because he's bankrupt
Wot to do?-- shoot him!


Though each of the husbands are quickly introduced,his chink sooner revealed and his death neatly executed with the help of three loyal assistants,each subsequent plot hardly makes a lasting impression... 
Though the film boasts of some beautiful moments like sudden shift of a scene from a wedding to a funeral,loosely tethering the tale to reality-tv,radio & newspaper headlines revealing which year we are in,Neil Nitin mukesh caressing Priyanka with his amputated leg (chilling),opening of kashmir with the babri masjid incident being displayed on tv with the urdu shayaris in the background by Irfan Khan,Priyanka's declaring 'Now i m going to drink his blood' to Vivaan (one of the best scenes) but such moments are quite few and rare which is unlike any other Vishal Bharadwaj film
                                                                                                                           

Performance wise is undoubtedly one of the finest performances by Priyanka Chopra,she truely carries the entire film on her shoulders..She is a chameleon-- vulnerable and tearful in one moment and an unfeeling viper in the next!Anu kapoor as keemat laal does a great job bringing out a few laughter from the audience..Vivaan Shah is a genious (here's hoping to see this new found talent a lot more on screen)..Irfan khan and Naseeruddin shah are completely wasted and John Abrahm comes up with his worst acting ever and a role which instead of being funny seemed stupid and childish,to say the least!
The child actor who plays Vivaan's childhood part is gr8..Neil Nitin Mukesh is ok and one wonders why did Usha uthup agreed to do such an insignificant part!     


One of the brilliant aspect of the film is the execution of the 'Darling' song..the entire vintage look coupled with Priyanka Chopra's beauty makes the song an excellent watch..