36 Farmhouse :
Movie Review -
Director, Writer Subhash Ghai's filmography before 2000 is nothing short of rich experience. This man has given us some very good mass entertainers during the 80s and 90s and has made careers of many Bollywood superstars. Right from Kalicharan, Vishwanath, Karz, Vidhaata, Hero, Meri Jung, Karma, Ram Lakhan to 90s Hits like Saudagar, Khalnayak and Pardes. After this, the director went too down to rise up again. That's what causes the lukewarm results of '36 Farmhouse'. A thriller which fails to generate any thrill on-screen, but moreover it looks outdated as if he wrote the film in the 80s, or maybe in the 60s before his debut and finally got the chance to dump the idea in 2022. There was no chance for Rajesh Sharma to save this mediocre writing, despite the talented cast and murder mystery angle. One has to slam the overall vision of Ghai, more than the director, for using all the gone-dated theories of his own films.
The story of 36 Farmhouse revolves around a murder mystery, which eventually doens't remain a mystery to the audience because we get to see the killer in the beginning scene only. A funny police investigation follows while the new members join the residence in the farmhouse for different and plausible reasons with the lockdown reference. By the time we reach the end, it solves the mystery with an extra twist that leaves you with satisfaction of keeping something alive for the climax, otherwise you knew everything already. In the meantime, the plot generates quite a spirited atmosphere with comedy, romance and family drama. In short, it's a thriller which tries too hard to be a non-thriller and believe it or not but it really becomes an engaging affair as a whole because you have that option to push it forward whenever you want on your small screen.
What works in the favour of 36 Farmhouse is the performances of the ensemble cast. We don't really get to see a talented actor like Vijay Raaj playing the lead role but with this film that rare thing happens. It's a pleasant thing indeed. Sanjay Mishra grabs his trademark comedy alright, while Golmaal fame Ashwini Kalsekar has some fun around him. Amol Parashar's accent is one thing you might like whereas his partner or love interest, we are not sure what exactly it was, Barkha Singh, looks gorgeous in every single frame. However, the hottest figure in the film is Flora Saini, who has that Femme Fatale touch, but not really explored as it should have been. In the supporting role, Rahul Singh tries to leave a mark, but the writing and screen-space of his character never really gives him any chance at all. Somehow the actors have saved it from that 'B Grade' status and you should be thankful for that.
What 36 Farmhouse lacks the most is the modern sense of filmmaking. You can't accept those 70s outdated thrills and dialogues in 2022. Even the songs. 'Aage Nikal' sounds like a typical situational funny song from the 70s, or maybe it's even worse than that. Nevertheless, it is a moody one for old-age audiences. The screenplay of the film is not boring, well, that's one more good thing out of three. But it definitely lacks the uniqueness needed for a thriller film. Director Ram Ramesh Sharma has nothing to offer with his direction techniques because it seems that he was convinced with the lackluster writing. Overall, 36 Farmhouse is a thriller with a twist, but they have failed to understand to put it at the right place. Moreover, outdated storytelling and misplaced segments makes it a passable flick.
RATING - 4/10*
