Summary : A young man desperately tries to make it big with some unlikely allies and a dastardly diabolical plan to pull off the perfect murder.
Cast : Rajkummar Rao, Huma Qureshi, Sikandar Kher, Akansha Ranjan Kapoor, Zayn Marie Khan, Radhika Apte
Director : Vasan Bala
Stars : ⭐️⭐️⭐️½
The Review :
Director of Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota Vasan Bala returns with an amusing crime thriller that is more batter-fried than hard-boiled, his tongue firmly in cheek and one hand ticking off a list of references to his favourite movies.
Regarding the Netflix debut, The director of Monica O My Darling, has a fantastic cast at his disposal who are ready for any type of mischief and the chance to jump from cutting-edge technology to gooey pulp over the course of 129 minutes. Even while viewers may not always get the joke, the Netflix release has a lot of fun snaking in and out of places.
The heritage of Monica, O My Darling is literally worn on its sleeve thanks to a perfume named Notorious Noir Extreme. The title, borrowed from the RD Burman song Piya Tu Ab To Aaja in Caravan, is the first nod to classic murder mysteries from authors like Vijay Anand, the Coen brothers, and Sriram Raghavan (1971).
Not just one, but at least three men adore Monica (Huma Qureshi), and one of them, according to Monica, is the father of her unborn child. Nishi (Sikander Kher), the slacker heir to the robotics business where Monica works, is one of the contenders. The organization’s newest employee, robotics prodigy Jayant (Rajkummar Rao). On his way up, Jayant has pushed Gaurav, a friend from boyhood, aside (Sukant Goel).
Nepotism Central is the business, and Jayant is dating Nishi’s sister Nikki while Jayant’s sister Shalu (Zayn Marie Khan) works there (Akansha Rajan Kapoor).
Last but not least, is the company’s dweeby accountant Arvind (Bagavathi Perumal) destined to become a father? A premeditated murder intended to settle the score goes horribly wrong, scattering the characters all over the place while brash police officer Naidu (Radhika Apte) assumes control.
Pune serves as the odd setting for mysterious events in Sriram Raghavan’s Andhadhun (2018). Yogesh Chandekar’s story and script (who is also one of Andhadhun’s authors) was inspired by Naidu’s suggestion to a suspect: don’t come up with a faultless backstory; leave a few strands loose to avoid suspicion.
Both off the screen and on it, there is a lot of action. While the ear must accommodate renditions of Piya Tu Ab To Aaja and Achint Thakkar’s self-consciously retro score, the eye is drawn to cinematographer Swapnil S Sonawane’s lush visuals. The brain must keep track of a series of hairpin bends. Last-word freak Naidu inquires, “What’s this, Crime Patrol Pune.”
The main antagonist of the story’s identity is hardly a riveting mystery. Shifting allegiances, two winking cameos, and a few too many strands to tie up are all part of the staccato story. The cast is friendly, there is a welcome absence of moralising, and the cacophony has a cheerily mischievous tone.
The show’s star is Rajkummar Rao’s expertly conceived amoral climber. Rao finally received a role that reflects his versatile talent, and he easily outshines the majority of the cast.
Sikandar Kher’s “dynamic appearance,” as it is aptly described in the opening credits, suggests that this modern actor blends in perfectly with the 1970s setting in which the film’s creators have submerged their ideas. The requirements for Radhika Apte’s character, which include malicious laughing, are eagerly consumed.