MONICA, O MY DARLING (2022)

Critic No. 296

Director: Vasan Bala

Written by: Yogesh Chandekar, Vasan Bala

Produced by: Matchbox Shots

Casts: Rajkummar Rao, Radhika Apte, Huma Qureshi

Music: Achint Thakkar

Language: Hindi

Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama


SYNOPSIS: 

A slick robotics expert joins a murderous plot after a passionate affair takes a sudden turn, but nothing, not even death, is what it seems to be.


REVIEW:

From the start, ‘Monica, O My Darling’ sparks with some kind of eccentric aura with a unique style of visual presentation. The beautiful marriage of dark, neo-noir visuals and comedic situations catches your attention quickly. 


Leave the darkness aside, the film really felt like a more realistic, subtle version of Kamal’s comedy classic Panchathantiram (2002) which has a whimsical tone to it too. The music by Achint Thakkar and the quirky visuals of  Swapnil S Sonawane really keeps us invested in the tale which is packed with twists and turns. 


Vasan Bala extracts top-notch performances from his actors. Rajkummar Rao is never off the boil as a chameleon driven by an instinct for survival. Huma Qureshi who looks a million, fleshes out Monica in all her splendour, a woman who revels in twirling men around her fingers. 


Even though the plot is engaging and keeps you at the edge of your seat to know who is the real murderer, after a while, the narration loses its emotional anchor and starts to just throw us with subplots. Radhika Apte’s character looks a little too artificial than others in the world that sticks like a sore thumb. In short, the second half does fizzle out a little before picking up at the big reveal in the end. 


With a fair share of positives and negatives, Vasan Bala whips out a decently engaging neo-noir comedy thriller that majorly delivers its promise - to entertain!




VERDICT:

A story of sex, betrayal, and unlikely criminals, Monica, O My Darling is a wildly entertaining comedy thriller that keeps you guessing till the end frame.


CELLULOID METER- 3.5/5:


Watch the full film on Netflix:

https://www.netflix.com/title/81444027

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