Manorama: Six Feet Under

Before watching Manorama, i considered Johnny Gaddar as best scripted suspense movie of modern times, but Manorama is far above from Johnny. The best thing is that the storyline looks real and on the level of a common person. It is not like a typical Hindi Cinema (bollywood) suspense movie with the protagonist playing a hero. I gave 9 because i felt detached in middle of the movie but approaching to the end, it captures attention and the climax is well written. I'll curse myself for not watching it for so long even after i heard its praise from my friends. Abhay Deol looks good as a Middle class Rajasthani and so as Gul Panag. Vinay Pathak is exceptional as usual.

Manorama Six Feet Under is akin to reading a novel. Viewers who are not fond of reading might judge the pace of the movie to be slow. It takes a while to build the atmosphere, characters gets established, suspense builds up and races ahead to a grand finale.

Screenplay and cinematography is commendable, you can almost feel the heat of the desert and sand on your face. A few places you can see the shades of Tarantino style of movie-making.

MSFU is the story of Satyaveer who stumbles upon a mystery and the (failed!) writer in him itches to seek the truth – redemption or quest?

Abhay Deol apparently is focusing on building his competency in the "new-age cinema" genre (there is too much competition in the mainstream anyway). As Satyaveer he puts on a convincing get-up coupled with a restrained performance.

Gul Panag uses the usual sarcastic house-wife lines to portrays a convincing character.

Vinay Pathak goes to shows that he is good at everything and not just comedy. Minor hitch here: why does he carry a strong accent while her sister doesn't? Convent studies maybe?

Raima Sen character staunchly believes "Men and coffee are good rich" and the tension which prevails between Abhay and Raima over the game of snake and ladders is truly amazing, especially the come-hither passes.

Sarika has a small but effective role. Its goes to show that acting is akin to ride a bicycle.

Khulbhushan Kharbanda is as usual dependable.

The two henchmen have portrayed their parts well (apologies for not knowing their names).

Finally I must add that gone are the days where Bollywood used to paint the perfect world. Its emotionally gratifying to see just like true-to-life, the movie also depicts shades of grey.

First I would like to tell who would surely like this movie, so if you are one of them then go and grab the movie right now - 1. People who have lived major part of their lives in a small town of India and know the slow and uneventful life. 2. People who have had great ambitions in life but some how could not achieve success in the magnitude of expectations. 3. People who are mystery aficionado not just in movies but in life also. 4. People who form their own opinion about the movies rather than just following the herd mentality.

If you fall into any 2 categories out of the 4 mentioned above then its a movie for you.

Review -

This is one movie created by a very intelligent director who is absolutely comfortable with his intelligence and skill of movie making and does not go over board to show the intelligence. The plot of the movie is defined in a sleepy small town of Rajasthan. The beauty about the plot is that it shows a lot about a small town of Rajasthan without spending too much time in creating the backdrop. This is not just true for Plot but for characters also. The characters of this movie unfold with the course of movie and no extra effort is done by director to over simplify or over explain it. By the end of the movie you would be absolutely ready to answer any question asked about the character. Not because director told you all about the characters but because you would know these character so well. In terms of story its little slow in the first hour but if you fall into any of the above categories you would not mind waiting for next eventful hour. Once the story picks up the pace then you have to sit tight to assimilate all the details or you would get into the trap of post processing. Its not like a conventional suspense movie where you get to know the bad man at the end. Some where during the movie you would realize who is the bad man but why and how are the questions which will be answered later. In the initial part of the movie you would question why the protagonist of the movie is so confident and sure about his ability but you would get the proof of that by the end of the movie. At the end protagonist does not get fame or revenge or pleasure of killing the villain of the movie but you would have a subtle smile when at the end protagonist gives all the answer and takes sweet unconventional revenge. Acting wise it 10/10. Abhay Deol is a class actor, who knows his character in and out. Gul Panag has done full justice to her role. Vinay Pathak is as usual his best. But I think the credit goes to director who has carved out his characters so well that even you would feel that "I can also do this role, I know this person so well." At the end, its a must watch movie. Its a disappointment that this movie could not get commercial success but I guess that the fate of all great movies made in India.

Manorama Six Feet Under is an intriguing, complex and offbeat thriller set in a sleepy small town of Rajasthan.

The movie is a promising debut by director Navdeep Singh. People who are used to the escapist Bollywood fare may find the movie too slow or confusing. The fact is that 'Manorama' leaves many threads of the story open-ended. Even as it pays homage to noir genre, the movie stays close to reality. And there is a strong sense of impending doom throughout the film's narrative.

The plot of 'Manorama Six Feet Under' takes a winding path instead of going linear. Beginning on a cogent note, the movie veers onto a somewhat tangled route, as the focus flits from one subplot to another.

Verbally sparse, intelligent, and visually striking, the movie holds your interest despite its languid pace.

And complementing the director's and cinematographer's commendable job are performances by the actors.

Abhay Deol's natural and underplayed portrayal of SV lends a lot of credibility to the character. More than acting, Abhay believes in spontaneous performance. And it comes through on the screen.

Gul Panag stands in equal stead, playing his bickering, nagging wife. Raima Sen , as the other woman in SV's life, is good. Vinay Pathak , playing a cop, doesn't have ample footage but he gets to mouth some well-written lines. Sarika has a very small role. Kulbhushan Kharbanda is impressive.

Inspired from Roman Polanski's movie 'Chinatown', 'Manorama Six Feet Under' is a film for those who like unconventional cinema. At times bizarre, at times fascinating, the movie is arguably the first of its kind in offbeat Hindi cinema.

Recommended for those who like offbeat films.

This movie is a great piece of work though it is not meant for the masses. This movie has plot twists after plot twists and mystery after mystery, I generally am able to predict the direction of a movie quite early in the film, but this one was a major exception. The star of the movie is definitely Abhay Deol (this guy is definitely going to go places in the long run) with his authentic Rajasthani portrayal of the character -- S.V. The rest of the cast has done an exceptional job and full points to all the people involved in the making of this film. I would like to congratulate Navdeep Singh for making such a beautiful movie with a strong and authentic Indian essence. I would definitely recommend this movie if you are a mystery films buff.