Manorama: Six Feet Under

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.

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.

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.

This movie is as real as it gets on the screen. The movie makers have done a great job to maintain the real feel and not dramatize anything. Every scene, every place, every character feels so real. For example, SV's bandage on his fingers is dirty and beat up just like the rest of his disheveled look. The table in Dr. Poddar's office has a transparent plastic cover over the table cloth just as you would find in many Indian households.

The story is excellent too. Keeps you captured till the last scene. It is also funny at times. My only complaint with the movie is that I didn't like Raima Sen as the choice to play Sheetal's character. She has a heavy Bengali accent not suitable for her character. Also Nimmi(Gul Panag) delivers her "Hinglish" dialogues with an upper class English accent.

Overall this is an excellent movie to watch.

After 'Johnny Gaddaar' here's another amazing thriller. 'Manorama 6 Feet Under' is clearly an inspiration of 'Chinatown'. Note inspiration, not ripoff nor remake. In one scene you even see Chinatown playing on TV. The writing is clever, the visuals are impressive and the performances are very good. Director Navdeep Singh stays with his sub-heading 'In the desert nothing is as it seems'. So in 'Manorama 6 Feet Under' nothing is indeed as it seems. Singh smartly unfolds the mystery and springs a lot of surprises. The film is set in sandy Rajasthan which is portrayed as mysterious, dry, isolated, illusive and frightening. Thus, it's a perfect set-up for the film.

Coming to the performances, Abhay Deol scores again in yet another different role, not just different from what he's done but also from what other actors of today are doing. The actor is certainly here to stay and hope he continues the good work. Gul Panag has a simple role but she does her part very well. Raima Sen shows tremendous versatility. Sarika is stunning in the title role and Kulbushan Kharbanda and Vinay Pathak are very good.

The songs are minimal. But the few that we have are pleasant and adequate for the screenplay.

'Manorama 6 Feet Under' is one exciting puzzle and a treat to watch. It's bizarre. It's dark. It's funny. It's thrilling.