Netflix has now come up with Monica, O My Darling starring talented actors like Rajkummar Rao, Huma Qureshi and Radhika Apte in important roles. The movie is now streaming on the OTT platform and let's see how it fares.
Story
Mr. Jayant Arkhedkar (Rajkummar Rao) has a huge responsibility as one of the Board of Directors of the robotics company Unicorn. The CEO of the company believes in Jayant and gives him this high position. Jayant is about to marry CEO's daughter Nikki (Akansha Rajan Kapoor). However, Jayant is in a relationship with Monica Machado (Huma Qureshi), who works in the same company. Monica becomes pregnant and starts blackmailing Jayanti for money. Jayant is shocked to learn that the CEO's son and Accounts Officer Arvind Swamy (Bhagavathi Perumal) Nishikanth Adhikari (Sikander Kher) is also having an affair with Monica. Monica starts blackmailing all three and so they decide to kill her. The rest of the film is about how these three try to get rid of Monica and the situations they face in the process.
Extra Points
Firstly, music director Achint Thakkar should be appreciated for the various retro style music played throughout the film. It gives the film a whole new feel. In addition, the background score adds to the excitement, especially in the second hour.
The second half of the film has many twists and turns that are hard to predict, and the way in which fun is combined around a series of murders using retro-style music is simply brilliant. The screenplay is over-the-top crazy in the last hour and keeps the audience hooked till the end.
The performances of the artists are of a high standard and everyone competes with each other to do their best. Rajkummar Rao is a natural performer and performs casually in the role assigned to him. Huma Qureshi oozes charm and does a good job as Monica. Radhika Apte is good as the cop. Bhagavathi Perumal is perfect for the given role as an uptight family man.
The surprise package is Sukant Goel and he makes his mark despite having little screen time. Rather than sticking to an admirable template, the creators tried a new way of storytelling.
Negative Points
The film is a neo-noir crime comedy thriller, a genre not explored by many filmmakers. As a result, the film will not be suitable for all sections of the audience. Hence, the film is targeting a niche segment and some may consider it silly.
In the initial half hour, the story is not engaging, with some flat sequences going on. In addition, the character structures of the main characters are not well established. Being more careful about this aspect would make things more interesting.
The violent parts may be difficult for a few to watch and digest. Moreover, the main character in the film lacks stability, which makes one wonder about the same. Finally, the open ending may also disappoint a few.
Technical Aspects
Swapnil Sonawane's cinematography is superb and the visuals keep the mood of the film in mind. Production values are good. However, Netflix needs to take a serious look at the annoying and weird sounding Telugu dialogues. The editing is sharp and we feel the film is over too soon.
Director Vasan Balan's introduction in the second hour makes the film enjoyable and the idea of adding retro music to the proceedings is brilliant. However
had to be careful in several aspects like creating story and character gaps.
Verdict
Overall, Monica, O My Darling offers the audience a different experience with more twists and quirky comedy. The performances of the leads are excellent, but the nature of the film may not appeal to everyone. Also, the first hour goes by on a flat note.