Monday 20 May 2013

Mumbai Police: Superb Plot and Stunning Performances





It is appreciative when cinema has the capacity to keep you on the edge while you watch it. Mumbai Police exceeds this expectation. It has the ability to travel all the way back home with you. The feature film encourages debates and discussions. It keeps conversations alive in the car.

The story gave me company in solitude too. It's an  amazing feeling. I mentally rewind the movie and every piece of jigsaw puzzle fits in perfectly. You have answers to every comment and/or questions that may have cropped up while you were watching the movie. There were scenes, for instance, when I felt that Rahman was all stiffened up for no reason. There were times when I thought Prithvi was not actually up to the mark. There were scenes I believed should have been re shot. However, the climax waves a magical wand and all the suggestions and questions I had vanished. I am glad everything just fell in place perfectly. That’s a great creative stimulation and it calls for a golden star.

Bobby and Sanjay seem to have done a lot of writing and rewriting before arriving at the final version. The story evidently looks to be one which has had a lot of effort and thought poured in. I applaud them for their art of storytelling. Their willingness to venture into different genres also deserves special mention. Hats off to the duo!

Prithviraj has given a splendid performance in Mumbai Police. The script demanded ACP Antony Moses to shoulder two different characters and Prithviraj does both an ample lot of justice. While watching the movie, I mentally wrote a lot of corrections for Prithvi. But, like I mentioned earlier, the mental rewind erased all those corrections and gave the guy an A+. The grade is not just for the performance. This role is verdict for the fact that he chose to be an artist rather than a star.

Among the cast, another actor who deserves special mention is Rahman. Commissioner of Police, Farhan is absolutely safe in Rahman’s hands. I like the controlled acting technique he adopted for this role. He has definitely gotten into the character’s skin. The subtle expressions he displayed, at times, offer to make you wonder if he may be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Personally, I would rank his expression in the climax scene as the best – it spoke a zillion words.

Exemplary performances, an engaging movie and good afterthoughts - all this translates to fabulous direction. Roshan Andrews gets it right with Mumbai Police. Hats off on this project!

Did I notice any flaws that I couldn't erase with all the mental rewind? There is this scene where ASI Sudhakaran (Kunjan) shares his sentiments about his profession and uniform. The scene, according to me, didn't seem necessary. Hima Davis (Rebecca) has just a few scenes which didn't deserve a huge amount of acting skills. Nevertheless, she fared poorly even for the little she had to deliver. I do see potential in Aparna Nair, but, she also has a long way to go. Aparna, in my opinion, needs to ease out a bit and be more at home in front of the camera.

It is a pleasure knowing that a movie is doing well. It gives the scope for a weekend outing. It is silly fun hoping that the movie won’t leave the theatre by the time I get to go watch it. There is a thrill in hushing friends and begging them not to reveal the story before you actually watch it. All this and if the movie is a well-crafted thriller – wow!

Many reviewed by word of mouth that Mumbai Police keeps the suspense but the climax lets you down. Some even asked me not to watch it. There were many others who claimed it to be a good movie. I decided to take the chance. I am so glad I did. Whether the climax is good or bad is but for you to decide. How would you know until you watch it? I’d say go for it!

I give the movie an 8/10.

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