The Body

The Body (2019), directed by Jeethu Joseph, is a Hindi remake of his own Spanish-language film of the same name (El Cuerpo, 2012). With a promising cast featuring Emraan Hashmi, Rishi Kapoor, Sobhita Dhulipala, and Vedhika Kumar, the film sets out to be a gripping murder mystery. While it offers some suspenseful moments and an engaging premise, it ultimately suffers from uneven pacing, weak character development, and predictable twists.

The story begins in a morgue where the corpse of a powerful businesswoman, Maya Verma (Sobhita Dhulipala), mysteriously disappears. Inspector Jairaj Rawal (Rishi Kapoor), a brooding officer dealing with personal loss, is assigned to the case. Suspicion quickly falls on Maya's husband, Ajay Puri (Emraan Hashmi), a man with secrets of his own. As the investigation unfolds over one rainy night, layers of betrayal, love affairs, and dark motives are revealed.

The plot has all the elements of a classic thriller: a missing body, a haunted investigator, a cheating spouse, and a mysterious backstory. The confined setting of the morgue adds a claustrophobic atmosphere, which could have been used to great effect. Unfortunately, the film struggles to build consistent tension. While the screenplay tries to keep viewers guessing, most of the twists are either too obvious or too rushed.

Emraan Hashmi, known for his work in romantic thrillers, delivers a decent performance. He plays the role of the conflicted husband with sincerity, although his character lacks emotional depth. His expressions often feel one-note, especially during key confrontational scenes. Sobhita Dhulipala is striking as the cold and controlling Maya, but her screen time is limited to flashbacks. Even then, she makes an impression as the sharp, ambitious woman whose past drives the mystery. Vedhika Kumar, as Ajay's lover, plays her part well, though her role is underwritten.

The highlight of the film is Rishi Kapoor, who gives one of his last complete performances before his passing in 2020. As the cynical inspector battling his own demons, Kapoor brings gravitas and a sharp edge to the film. His presence keeps the narrative grounded even when the story becomes melodramatic or implausible.

Jeethu Joseph, the mind behind Drishyam, is no stranger to thrillers. However, in The Body, his direction feels restrained and less impactful. The film relies heavily on slow motion, dramatic music, and dim lighting to create mood, but the suspense doesn't always land. The final twist, which aims to shock the viewer, feels unearned and somewhat forced. While it ties the plot together, it lacks the emotional resonance required to leave a lasting impact.

The music by Shamir Tandon and Arko is average, with a couple of songs feeling unnecessary and interrupting the film's flow. The background score, however, does help heighten the suspense in key scenes. Cinematography is slick, with glossy visuals and moody lighting capturing the eerie atmosphere of the morgue and Maya's luxurious world.

Despite its flaws, The Body has moments of intrigue. The film's core idea is strong-raising questions about guilt, justice, and revenge-but its execution falters due to clichéd dialogues and underwhelming storytelling. Had it been tighter, darker, and more psychologically driven, it might have stood out among Indian thrillers.

What worked:

• the screenplay is pleasantly good, adding thrills and extra spices into the narrative. The movie's plot is interesting, making the viewers show flexibility on their interpretations of the story. One of the reasons the screenplay worked maybe is because it is a remake of a great international thriller.

What did not work:

• run time; there is no denying that the screen time could have been shorten by cutting down all the songs. They brought no charm or added any flavor to the story, instead made it hard to watch and making the viewers feel detached from the thrills that the could have garnered. Also, we can accept the distractions used for the movie but the movie failed to make a very strong conclusion that the original promised. It's not a bad movie overall but the execution could have been done better.

Final verdict: recommended for a one time watch

Generous with 10 cos I am tired of the same ethnocentric Bollywood films. Tired of the Bollywood films distorting history. After having already seen the original in 2018 n having posted a review of it, three things really pulled me into seeing this official remake : Hashmi, Joseph n Shobhita. Fellas who haven't seen the original will enjoy the twist. Oh! by the way the 4th gud point is the acting of Rishi Kapoor.

The Body is the official Hindi remake of the highly appreciated 2012 Spanish film El Cuerpo (The Body). Without going into comparisons with the original that I haven't seen or being biased by the unkindly critical comments, I must say that The Body is a taut thriller that often borders on the belief of the supernatural and comes across as eerie. The director Jeethu Joseph (of Drishyam fame) has kept the running time to just above two hours which ensures that the viewer interest remains intact.

Shot fully in Mauritius, The Body deals with the death of a successful business tycoon Maya Puri (Sobhita Dhulipala) aged 29. The cause of death is originally assigned to a massive heart attack, but problems arise for her husband Ajay Puri (Emraan Hashmi) when her body disappears from the mortuary without a trace and he is summoned by the police to the forensic laboratory for an interrogation. The rest of the film is a flashback about the reconstruction of the events leading to her death.

Emraan Hashmi delivers a stereotypical performance and appears disinterested at times, perhaps in a bid to create an alibi for himself. Sobhita Dhulipala is quite impressive, swinging between a controlling wife and boss, and a practical joker who drives her husband to a point of nervousness on several occasions. Vedika Kumar plays the role of Emraan Hashmi's extramarital love interest and has a limited role. But it's Rishi Kapoor in the role of the investigating officer who delivers a punchy and gritty performance. His dialogues are clever and witty too.

The Body had the potential of becoming an extraordinary thriller but falls short in some elements. Emraan Hashmi is partly responsible for it by delivering a disengaged performance and failing to match up to Sobhita Dhulipala's energy. The other aspect is that the film appears low key and fails to build on the supernatural effects it created to take it to a high. Nevertheless, it's a movie that has a fantastic suspense and its finale comes as a load of surprise. Go on, if you are a suspense buff, don't miss it.

Poor remake of the original movie, too slow. Don't waste your time watching this one. Nothing in the movie deserves to be appreciated. I think the director was in a hurry to wind up. A soulless movie