Adapted from a short story by Ruskin Bond (who is, ironically, best known as a children’s writer), Vishal Bradwaj’s 7 Khoon Maaf is a dark and twisted journey, even a phantasmagorical one at times, through the life of its damaged protagonist. Susanna is a beautiful and elegant lady, she has an aristocratic lineage, she’s always surrounded by a devoutly loyal coterie of orderlies and servants, and all she craves for is simple and unconditional love. Yet, as luck would have it, she gets married to one grotesque man after another – a wife-beating chauvinist, a crazy drug-addict, a two-timing Russian diplomat, a double-faced sadomasochist, an unctuous pill-popper, and a vicious murderer in the garb of a gentility; and she responds, as the title suggests, by sending each of them to their graves. The film is very well photographed, peppered with some lovely numbers, and boasts of a marvelous ensemble cast comprising of the likes of Naseeruddin Shah, Anu Kapoor, Irfan Khan, John Abraham, Neil Nitin Mukesh, and Konkona Sen-Sharma. But the most striking aspect of the film, undoubtedly, remains Priyanka Chopra’s absolutely incredible performance as the enigmatic Susanna. However, the film could have been edited into a more compact whole as some of the sub-plots dragged at times. The guy who provides us with the voice-over was also disappointing as he seemed to be trying really hard to copy Shahrukh Khan of all actors.
Director: Vishal Bharadwaj
Genre: Psychological Drama/Psychological Thriller/Black Comedy/Ensemble Film
Language: Hindi
Country: India
