Ek Villain
Year: 2014
Director: Mohit Suri
Cast: Siddharth Malhotra, Shraddha Kapoor, Riteish Deshmukh, Aamna Sharif

Over the years, director Mohit Suri has delivered a steady stream of successful films. A filmography that includes Kalyug, Murder 2, Raaz- The Mystery Continues and Aashiqi 2 is not bad for someone who is in his early thirties and yet to complete a decade in the film industry. Being the nephew of Mahesh Bhatt (and the cousin of Emraan Hashmi and Pooja Bhatt), this young director has absorbed his extended family’s penchant for dark and dangerous themes.

In Ek Villain, Suri is teaming up with Ekta Kapoor, a producer with a Midas touch; Siddharth Malhotra and Shraddha Kapoor, two young stars who have tasted success early in the career and Riteish Deshmukh, who is trying to move on from his comic capers to dramatic roles.

The team looks promising. How is the film?

What’s the plot?

The film is essentially a story about three people- a dreaded gangster (Siddharth Malhotra), who is a ruthless killer scarred by his childhood memories; an ever-smiling, ever-joking do-gooder girl (Shraddha Kapoor), who is ticking off entries in her wish-list while fighting a losing battle against cancer and a serial killer (Riteish Deshmukh), who bumps off women but who is at core just a timid guy trying to win his wife’s (Aamna Sharif) love and respect.

What happens when these three complex lives collide?

What’s hot?

·        The plot premise and the first thirty minutes are interesting.

·        Prachi Desai sheds her ‘The good girl-next door’ image and does an item number!

·        The music is palatable.

What’s not?

·        The plot tries to meld a serial killer tale with a love-redemption story. If only it could have made the characters more believable and the on-screen happenings more convincing! The whole psycho-analytical part seems hollow.

·        Mohit Suri’s back-and-forth story-telling technique using multiple flashbacks and the overall labored approach takes away the fizz out of the on-screen romance and murders.

·        The acting department is in shambles here. Remo Fernandes playing a crime boss, Shaad Randhawa playing a CBI officer and Kamaal Khan playing the serial killer’s friend are the worst offenders.

·        To give due credit, it must be said that the three main actors give it their best shot but they are hampered by their acting limitations and the unconvincing characterization. Shraddha Kapoor is over-the-top while doing her jokey bit but then settles down into a bearable mellowed mood. Siddharth Malhotra does a good job of looking tough and intense. Riteish Deshmukh’s departure from his comic persona is creditable but his psychopathic serial killer portrayal leaves much to be desired.

Verdict

Whether it is screenplay, direction or acting, Ek Villain disappoints on all possible cinematic fronts. Yes, there is one remarkable thing about it. There are many occasions when the whole theatre sniggers during serious dramatic scenes! If you like to indulge in that kind of fun, then do watch it.

Apparently many people seem to like that kind of fun because the film has seen one of the biggest openings on the box-office!

Rating

1.5 stars