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MANORAMA - SIX FEET
UNDER |
By Taran
Adarsh, September 21, 2007 - 13:01 IST
 The hallmark of any thriller is that it should build
the suspense beautifully, hold the attention to the
point that the viewer starts pointing the finger of
suspicion on the assorted characters in the narrative
and hit the viewer like a ton of bricks when the
mystery is solved.
Unfortunately, MANORAMA - SIX FEET UNDER doesn't make
that kind of an impact. It's well shot, with stunning
visuals to back it up, but, hello, isn't cinema all
about narrating interesting stories in the most
simplistic fashion? What value is the ambience or
décor if the food served on the table is anything but
delicious?
Let's get more specific! MANORAMA - SIX FEET UNDER
takes off well, but faces turbulent weather in between
and never gets it right thereafter. Instead of
narrating an uncomplicated story, debutante director
Navdeep Singh makes the goings-on so confusing that
the viewer fails to decipher what's going on.
The story jumps from one track to another, adding to
the confusion. Actually, the film fails on the script
level since the sequence of events that lead to the
finale are so confusing that it's difficult to fathom
what exactly the problem was and how it got solved.
To sum up, MANORAMA - SIX FEET UNDER is a classic case
of a film gone wrong due to a poor script penned by an
amateur.
SV [Abhay Deol] is a government engineer, but his real
ambition has always been writing detective fiction.
Unfortunately, his maiden attempt, a novel called
Manorama, sank without a trace and he has been reduced
to writing for cheap magazines.
 Stifled by the dreariness of small town existence and
frustrated by his failure, SV's life takes a turn when
the wife [Sarika] of a powerful local politician [Kulbhushan
Kharbanda] arrives at his doorstep with an
irresistible offer; the chance for SV to play a
real-life detective by spying on her husband.
Intrigued and tempted by the opportunity to redeem his
self worth, SV accepts the offer.
Upon completion of his assignment, things take a turn
when SV discovers that the woman is not who she claims
to be. The situation gets further complicated when she
is killed in a mysterious accident. Sensing foul play,
SV begins investigating her death only to discover
that nothing is what it seems to be…
Debutante director Navdeep Singh knows the
technicalities well and aided by cinematographer
Arvind Kannabiran, Singh comes up with visually
enticing frames. But the writing is the cause for
worry here.
 What were the reasons that led to Sarika getting
murdered? What was so important in those photographs
that the powerful politician and his cronies wanted to
lay their hands on? How relevant was the medical
report of the politician with the main plot? How and
when do Abhay and Raima get attracted towards each
other? And was the politician a paedophile? Besides,
how does everything gets solved in the end, with the
politician getting his answers and Abhay walking away
smiling? Question, questions and more questions.
Confusion, confusion and more confusion!
The only departments that merit a strong mention are
cinematography and dialogues, which cater to the
intelligentsia mainly.
Abhay Deol pitches in a natural performance, but the
performance is not as striking as his earlier works
like AHISTA AHISTA and EK CHALIS KI LAST LOCAL. Vinay
Pathak gets it right yet again. He's first-rate. Gul
Panag is a fine actor, but what is she doing in this
film? The role has no potential, except nagging her
husband. Raima Sen is alright; her role should've been
better defined. Kulbhushan Kharbanda does well. Sarika
is hardly there.
On the whole, MANORAMA - SIX FEET UNDER disappoints.
At the box-office, the lack of buzz as also the weak
content will result in the effort going unnoticed.
Rating:- *
1/2
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