Monica, O My Darling

You have learned from the masters like Federico felini, kiesloski ... This is a masterpiece in Indian cinema like your last movie ... I loved that from the bottom of my heart.. every frame of this movie is unique thanks to your cinematographer.. This is surely having reflection and refrences of Johnny Gaddar... I enjoyed this movie totally.. Keep it up... You have grip on every frame and every music bit .. keep up the good work .. I have to write alot about this movie but at this moment I am speechless.. beauty lies in the eyes of watcher... This is a movie that shift the course of Indian cinema.. Kudos.. Take a bow..

As a gym instructor, I always make fun of fellas from accounts department cos of their pot bellies n thakela (low energy) attitude.

I saw this few days back on Netflix.

I regret not seeing this earlier.

The movie is very entertaining n has enuff thrills n humor.

Haven't read Burutasu No Shinzou by Keigo Higashino upon which this movie is based on.

Rajkumar Rao wearing a t-shirt with the logo of Giant Robo is epic. The guy is a terrific actor.

The movie has three good babes.

I didn't like Huma Qureshi.

Akansha Ranjan Kapoor is a busty babe, Radhika is an athletic built babe n Zayn Marie Khan is hot.

Sameer lodaya

The movie will make you feel that Monica is a real darling

What a format and the director Vasan left no corner to make it a perfect one..the Dark comedy is of out class with a good pace and amazing twists..such dark and sharp scenes will give you goosebumps..the aesthetics were exactly designed to the format..the overall glance is very stylish..the core part of the movie is the background score which plays the Monica song and slow classical songs takes to the movie to a high class level

Huma was outstanding with her 3rd performance in a row after maharani and double xl raj kumar well supported her and no less radhika came brilliantly with her new comic role

Glance of sriram raghavan direction was felt in each single frame

Outclass cinematic experience.

Monica O My Darling (2022) : Movie Review -

Vasan Bala's Monica O My Darling has a freaking blasting cast of Rajkummar Rao, Huma Qureshi, Radhika Apte, Sikandar Kher and Akansha Ranjan Kapoor, but the film is even more blasting. This is an interesting mix of multiple layers of genres such as neo-noir, crime, comedy, thriller, and black comedy that British cinema mastered decades ago. Monica O My Darling is racy, splashy, sexy, humorous, comic, thrilling, and somewhat slashy, but as a whole, what a freaking amazing mix it is. There haven't been many black comedies made in Bollywood, and whatever we have is either mediocre or overrated (including Netflix's own material). Monica O My Darling finally puts an end to that wait. We have waited a long time for a modern-day black comedy for years, maybe decades, since "Jane Bhi Do Yaaro" (1983), which had a satirical angle overfilling the black comedy elements. Vasan Bala's medley does not surpass or match that, but it definitely ends up being one of the best modern works after that.

Monica O My Darling starts off with a murder that doesn't involve any of your main characters. This is where you should start hyping it because a smart director keeps all his aces hidden in the first round, and here Vasan had so many. Jayant Arkhedkar (Rajkumar Rao) is appointed to the Unicorn Tech board of directors, making his colleagues envious. He is engaged to his boss' daughter, Niki (Anushka Ranjan Kapoor), and has an illegitimate affair with Monica Machado (Huma Qureshi). He desperately tries to make it big with some unlikely allies and a dastardly, diabolical plan to pull off the perfect murder, but things only get worse. A quirky cop, ACP Naidu (Radhika Apte), takes charge of the murder investigation while Jayant and his colleague try to get away and hide their secrets from cops, their boss, and their love ladies. The race takes them into a cobweb that covers other walls too, and you'll have to see the film to know every detail because spoilers are injuries to the viewing experience.

Firstly, a big round of applause for the writer, Yogesh Chandekar. Man, you have done it like a pro! So many characters, so many goofy ideas with brain, so many twists and you alone handle it without spoiling the basic fact of the universe - Karma. Hail you, man. Monica O My Darling is not simple at any point. It's a very complex story with so many layers, and the screenplay covers everything, even if it's illogical, because that's what comedy is sometimes. It has a pacy screenplay with eye-pleasing visuals and grooving background music, especially the retro classic song "Monica," which will not give you a chance to move an inch away from your seat. While doing so, it doesn't forget to do some high-quality brainstorming at the same time, causing a wonderful viewing experience with the brain, heart, and veins all working at the right place.

Rajkummar Rao is back! He hadn't gone anywhere, but that substantial work was missing in his last few projects (and to be honest, the projects weren't that good). Now, I can't say it any longer. Monica has done the trick for him. He is back in form - as an actor and as a good choicer as well. It's an open field for him, and he plays without any boundaries. Huma Qureshi has had a fantastic year, and Monica O My Darling adds another feather to her hat. She is sexy and greedy, but not a bastard. Radhika plays a hilarious part as ACP Naidu, which is an unusual thing for female cops in Bollywood. The style, attitude, and persona she carries in this film are really nice. One more surprise here is Akansha Ranjan Kapoor. She is a young, sexy, and stupid girl from a rich family, and she behaves like one. Those urban spoilt brats can relate to her character. The supporting cast is no less strong here. Sikander Kher's banger act shines, while Zayn Marie Khan, Sukant Goel, Bagavathi Perumal and Vijay Kenkre are phenomenal in their roles.

Monica O My Darling's technical departments will undoubtedly leave you with a lasting impression. The background score is absolutely enchanting and one of the finest works of art in this field for any Bollywood movie recently. What wonderful music Achint Thakkar and Mikey McCleary have provided! I was tapping my foot on every song, every beat, and how cleverly it has been put in parts of the narrative in different situations. While you admire the cinematography, Atanu Mukherjee's editing takes the cake. Was there any competition between the technical crew of this film or what? Like, all are gonna do well, but who's gonna do better or even better than that. A special mention to the somewhat underwhelming dialogue for not going over the top every time, while they still go so often. Those abuses and F-words are becoming quite normal for Netflix projects anyway.

Vasan Bala should write a book about how he created Monica O'My Darling so that other writers and filmmakers can learn how to create a true blue Neo-Noir crime comedy thriller in Bollywood style. Firstly, this mix of multiple genres was too much for one cinematic brain, then there was a huge cast, then there was a pressure to avoid cliches or use them in a new way, and the list goes on. You need multiple brains to handle multiple things, but Vasan Bala did it all alone. How? Do you have 3 or 4 brains there? He gets into the details of a small scene with so much care and intelligence. He knew where to use comic music and lyrics; he knew exactly where to use humour, thrills, twists, and other forces. It's not that he was doing something out of this world or that any scenes were like that. He was showing only regular, known scenes, but in his own different style. I can't reveal all those scenes, but here's one of them. Towards the end, Rajkummar is riding a bike, and he is going to get killed. As we all know, the hero never gets killed like that, so we know that he is going to survive, but how? That was the question. What's new from Vasan? Actually, it was just the same old trick of a group of locals passing by, but this time it was a Warkaris group singing "Vitthal Vitthal Mhana, Ha janma Nahi Punha." For the unfamiliar (like most of you are), that tone is from Humraaz (1967) - "Neele Gagan Ke Tale." Vasan has looked at such small details, and at the end, he simply follows the biggest lesson of Karma to leave you jumping on your seats. You wouldn't want to miss that fun, I believe, so don't miss Monica O My Darling.

RATING - 7/10*

Before I get into the nitty-gritty of my analysis, I shall convey my sincere admiration for Vasan Bala and the stupendous job he has done as the Director here! Black Comedies are quite tough to pull off, one little mistake, and the whole shebang could go off the track at any given time, at any given moment.

Not to mention the Writing has to be precise and it should also conserve a tonal equilibrium between the comedy and the heart-stricken calamities. Any presence of incompetence in its supervision will spoil the party and the film will end up being a middling affair filled with nothing but mediocrities.

Vasan Bala, however, is one unique force to be reckoned with, especially in this specific realm that employs tragedies and their subsequent results. Not only is he aware of his mastership, but it also is one such genre he's quite familiar with, and let me give you some assurance here, he owned it, and he did not disappoint; on the contrary, I do feel this is his best work to date.

P. S. One of the finest usage of Background Music I have ever seen (or heard) in my entire lifetime. Now, some of you might argue that it's overstuffed, matter of fact, it probably is, yes, but Mr. Bala's approach served the narrative nonetheless!