Movie: Mrs Serial Killer
Director: Shirish Kunder
Cast: Jacqueline Fernandez, Manoj Bajpayee, Mohit Raina, Darshan Jariwala and Zayn Marie Khan.
Stars: 2.5
Amid the Coronavirus-induced lockdown, OTT platforms are the only source for entertainment left. As the new month begins, the platform turns the thriller mode on with Mrs Serial Killer. Shirish Kunder is back on the director's seat after a long break with Mrs Serial Killer. The filmmaker last helmed a short film in 2016 titled Kriti which starred Manoj Bajpayee in the lead. And Mrs Serial killer once again pults Manoj Bajpayee in the lead along with Jacqueline Fernandez, Mohit Raina, and debutante Zayn Marie.
As the name suggests the 117-minute film is a crime thriller. The first half of the film is highly perplexing and the loose ends in the storyline make it a tedious watch. The not so convincing plot makes the climax look shoddy. The edge of the seat, nail-biting moments last just for a few minutes and eventually makes the film predictable towards the climax. Acting-wise Manoj Bajpayee and Mohit Raina have aced their performance graph with some spine thrilling and nerve-racking moments. Overall it is a one time watch for suspense lovers.
Storyline
Manoj Bajpayee (Mrityunjoy Mukherjee) is a gynecologist who is suspected of being a serial killer and taken into police custody. In order to save him, his wife Sona (Jacqueline Fernandez) goes to the extent of kidnapping and recreating the death in the same style as the serial killer to prove that the murderer is still out there killing. Being a sensitive issue, no lawyer is willing to represent her husband's case. Mrityunjoy's wife Sona seeks the help of criminal lawyer Brij Rastogi (Darshan Jariwala), an old pal of the doctor, to prove the innocence of the accused. Somehow he agrees to take her husband's case.
Cut to court scene, investigating officer, Imran Shahid (Mohit Raina), points to Mrityunjoy's involvement in the gruesome killings, but the cunning advocate convinces pregnant Sona to take the law into her hands and to prove that the serial killer is still roaming out fearless. After the courtroom drama and change of events. There comes an x-factor, soon it is revealed that the police inspector Imran was Sona's ex-boyfriend and has come back to seek revenge from her. Phew! Hold on.. there is more.
Enters Anushka Tiwari (debutante Zayn Marie Khan), a college student and Taekwondo black belt who is pregnant too. Mrs Serial Killer starts to manipulate the law and police that Anushka is the killer and not her husband. As this drama progresses, Manoj Bajpayee makes a stirring return and turns the tables on everybody.
What happens next? Who is the accused? Who is the killer? Find out…
Performances
Manoj Bajpayee runs the film on his shoulder. No one could have pulled off this role better than him. He shines throughout the film. He is the only reason why you should be giving your valuable quarantine time to watch this film. Jacqueline Fernandez, whose last film was the disastrous Drive, continues in Mrs Serial Killer. She is as stiff as one could be, although she tries her best to match up to Manoj Bajpayye's acting calibre. Mohit Raina, best known as television's Lord Shiva, walks through his role as if in a divine trance. He plays his part well and is a delight to watch in certain scenes. For newcomer Zain Marie Khan shows potential in the movie. The actress manages to keep your attention and invest in her character. While Darshan Jariwala's as the defence lawyer has a limited screen time but he made the best of it. The supporting cast too has done a fine job.
Positive
The DoPs, Ravi K. Chandran and Kiran Deohans have done a fine job with close up shots. There are certain scenes that grip us - mainly the scenes where the actors are having a conversation that makes us look conspiratorial. The makers have tried to give the feel of suspense with much-required background scores. Browny points to them. Production designer Shashank Tere has also done a commendable job. There are certain sequences in which the action takes place, which includes a hauntingly lit deserted hill town market where the heroine is chased by a girl in the middle of the night. Such nuances in the screenplay add value to the film. Acting by Manoj Bajpayee, Darshan Jariwali and Mohit Raina is the sole reason that makes you sit through the film.
Negative
The dialogues don't hold the gravity required for a suspense thriller. For instance, Sona says, 'Ye Kahani ab khatam hone wali hai' and it lacks intensity and we can't feel anything. Despite the fact that finally, the film is ending! Jacqueline Fernandez's body language falls flat in certain areas. The mere predictability at the end kills the entire tempo of a suspense genre.
Verdict
As we have entered lockdown 3.0, and have practically nothing to do and this is the latest offering by the OTT platform. One can surely spare a few hours on the film, Mrs Serial Killer might not grip you, or give you chills down the spine but certain scenes are definitely intriguing. Manoj Bajpayee, Darshan Jariwala and Mohit Raina's acting overshadow the weak script. Go for it if you have binged everything.
