Saat Khoon Maaf
According to a recent story in Mint newspaper, when 19-year-old Vishal Bhardwaj returned from cricket practice that morning, his home had been emptied out on the street. Chairs, tables, utensils, clothes, photo frames—everything lay strewn on the road outside his home in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. In the midst of it, right there on the street, his poet father—for long his best friend—lay sprawled. And lifeless. It was one of the moments that would change the life of 45-year-old Vishal Bhardwaj, one of India’s brightest film-makers and music composers. “It was like a steady cam shot,” That must have in some way defined the way he looks at the subject of death. He counts Quentin Tarantino as among his influences. It was Pulp Fiction that inspired Vishal to take the plunge to make movies. But he started his career as a music composer in the telly serial Fauji in 1995 - a show that gave Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan his first break. In 1996, Gulzar's film Maachis saw Vishal B as the music director. Those compositions got him the RD Burman award for best debutant in music. In 2002 he made his debut as a director with Makdee - a childrens' film that starred Shabana Azmi.In 2003, he made Maqbool as an adaptation of Macbeth. That was a breathtaking film with brilliant performances by Pankaj Kapoor, Tabu and Irrfan. If you haven't seen that film you must. Then there was the other movie Omkara - inspired by Othello.Omkara was made in 2006. Then came a hat trick. In 2009 it was Kaminey (read my review here); last year it was Ishqiya for which Vishal composed the musical score and 2011 he directed Saat Khoon Maaf - Trans: Seven Murders Forgiven (based on Ruskin Bond's story Susanna's Seven Husbands).The film is about the character Susanna played by Priyanka Chopra who kills husbands - all seven of them. The husbands are played by Naseeruddin Shah, John Abraham, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Irrfan Khan, Annu Kapoor and Russian actor Aleksandr Dyachenko, in the roles of the husbands.The husbands all have their fatal flaws and they need to be bumped off. Each wedding is as per a different ritual. From a Bong wedding to a Russian one, you will see them all. The methods of murder are all varied and imaginative. Yet I cannot honestly say that this is Ruskin Bond's best story ever. In fact he even makes a brief appearance in the film. I almost expected him to say, "My name is Bond ... Ruskin Bond."This film gives Bollywood a new actor - Priyanka Chopra who has made a brave attempt to be an actor and not a star. She has done the unthinkable of looking old and unglamorous as the story moves on. I susoect Bollywood will encourage her by giving her with awards for this one. If her acting skills in Fashion (which I thought was below par), then this one would surely qualify.Are there any loose ends in the story - yes. But then Bollywood audience is used to inconsistencies. Like what? Priyanka Chopra's make up for one. The continuity is flawed in some places.But that is not a deal breaker ever. John Abraham's character looks dangerously closely modeled on rocker Axelrod of Guns and Roses fame. Naseeruddin Shah plays a Bengali character whose Bengali accent is as suspect as the Doordarshan TV newsreaders who pronounce Kolkata as Call-Kota. Usha Uthup plays Priyanka's maid and confidant. But her make up makes her character look almost farcical. Newcomer Vivaan Shah makes you sit up and notice his acting skills. The weak link in the film is the exaggerated make up of most characters.The music is neat. Kay Kay does a lovely acoustic version of the song O'Mama. My favorite has to be Yesu by Rekha Bharadwaj. In the final analysis, Saat Khoon Maaf is a dark film. I am not sure the average person cares for this brand of stories. So I don't think this will do well at the box office. The film is in many ways like dark chocolate. Most people find the bitter aftertaste hard to enjoy. But then I kind of love dark chocolate.