Mickey Virus
Year: 2013
Director: Saurabh Verma
Cast: Manish Paul, Elli Avram

On the heels of successful Bollywood entries of TV-stars Ayushman Khurana (Vicky Donor) and Sushant Singh Rajput (Kaipo Che, Shuddh Desi Romance), popular TV-host Manish Paul makes his debut in tinsel town. With an interesting title and a promise of a techno-age comedy-thriller, his debut vehicle Mickey Virus looks an interesting proposition on paper. How is it actually?

What’s the plot?

A Delhi Police ACP (Manish Choudhary) and his assistant (Varun Badola) are investigating sophisticated murders of two international computer hackers, for which they decide to seek help from city’s thriving underground cyber-geek network. They pick a smart-aleck desi hacker (Manish Paul) to help them run background checks on murder victims to find out their hidden agenda. The lazy but talented youth reluctantly agrees to work for them. Little does he know that his newfound job and his equally newfound girlfriend (Elli Avram) are both going to land him in a hot soup! Will his techno-savvy friends be able to save him from an unexpected disaster?

What’s hot?

·         Interesting plot-concept.

·         Some nice songs.

·         Manish Choudhary and Varun Badola deliver good performances as tough Delhi cops.

What’s not?

·         The film certainly had the potential to become an interesting comedy-thriller but a jumbled-up plot that moves too slowly; uneven direction that cannot inject any sense of fun or thrill in the on-screen proceedings; predictable twists and ordinary performances turn it into a so-so fare.

·         Manish Paul is likeable but nothing special in the title role. His happy-go-lucky, cocksure Delhi-lad with a typical street-smart lingo is a character that has lost its novelty. Already we have seen many such characters (and much better portrayed ones at that!) in films such as Band Baaja Baraat, Oye Lucky and Fukrey!

·         Elli Avram fails to make any impact.

Verdict

With its contemporary rom-com plus whodunit theme, Micky Virus could have been an interesting addition to the multiplex-oriented new age films but ultimately it just comes across as a good concept with a flawed execution!

Rating

2 stars