The Stoneman Murders

For a long time I thought The Stoneman Murders was a investigative documentary of some sort by NDTV – because I always saw the ads only on the news channels. And the ads only showed some guy shrouded in a blanket, about to smash someone with a big stone. It was only later that I saw Kay Kay Menon and Arbaaz Khan in the promos and realized it was a proper movie.

But the big question about each movie - is it a proper/watchable movie ? Answer - Hell yeah !! It might be small budget and without any catchy item songs (there is one mandatory dance-bar song, but its eminently forgettable) – but it's a very involving and riveting thriller. Of course, it manages to trip itself up when it uncovers the mystery man – it's a time honored Hindi movie tradition (Raaz etc) after all !! But since it's the last 10 minutes of the movie, you can easily skip that part in your mind and remember its engrossing moments.

As the movie title and the trailers announce – its about the gruesome Stoneman (or 'Pattharmaar') serial killings in Bombay in 1983 – whose identity remains a mystery till date. According to google, this is the only serial-killer case in India that was never solved – not even a definitive arrest !! Director Manish Gupta claims that there was no way a crime like this was unsolved – there must have been a massive cover-up afterwards. Now I am not in a position to verify if this is just a publicity gimmick or he actually believes that – but it definitely adds to the enjoyment of the movie.

The Stoneman Murders has Kay Kay Menon playing inspector Sanjay - his now-regular characterization of a man with an inflated self-belief, aggression and a liking for violence (Sarkar, Mumbai Meri Jaan, Life in a Metro, Via Darjeeling and many more). I guess it goes without saying that he does that role pretty well. The movie begins with inspector Sanjay getting suspended from the police force for a accidental custodial death, right when the Stoneman kills his first victim. As the bodies pile up, he gets permission from a sympathetic senior Satam (Vikram Gokhale) to pursue a secret parallel investigation on his own. Sanjay latches on to the thin hope that cracking the case before the police department does, might be his only chance of getting back into the force ... and mobilizes his underground network of informers for clues. But the killer doesn't give himself up easily and that is what the story is all about.

With a perfect accompanying background score that heightens the terse moments and shot mostly at nighttime Mumbai streets, The Stoneman Murders is a very intelligent cat-and-mouse game between the renegade cop and the mystery killer. The director/script-writer have come up with a very realistic & engrossing story – and I cant tell you more about the narrative without giving away some of the mystery. There are scary moments throughout the movie, and there were times I forgot to chew the popcorn in my mouth as I cringed inwardly about the gory death awaiting the pavement-dweller.

However, the director cant match this suspense buildup with the final expose of the Stoneman – and the identity of the killer is rather underwhelming. That spoils what is otherwise a perfect suspense movie. But even with the stinky ending, The Stoneman Murders is entertaining as hell, especially at just 1 hour 40 min runtime and hence deserves a watch

I regularly review movies at http://bombaycinephile.blogspot.com

Two genres in which Hindi Film Industry has not got many in its kitty are Spine Chilling Thrillers and Murder Mysteries…. There are very few such brave and worth mentioning efforts which come to your mind instantly. Luckily we have seen some good thrillers in the recent times by the young brigade of innovative directors and "The Stoneman Murders" is yet another path breaking and engrossing attempt by the director, Manish Gupta.

The movie is a mix of real life take on the serial killings of 1983 with a touch of fiction added by the writers giving it a more sensational feel. It talks about the horrifying terror on the streets, spread by a brutal killer who used to kill the poor people sleeping on the roadside by crushing their head with a stone, therefore named as Stoneman Murderer. And both the director and the writers come up with a brilliant portrayal of this real life case on the silver screen.

The main merit of the movie is that it straight away starts off with the main topic and sticks to its till the end. There are no deliberately added sub plots, songs or any comic scenes which make it more harsh, bold and impressive. The whole narration revolves around Kay Kay Menon, who is a suspended Police Inspector paying the price for his anger practiced in an interrogation. After his suspension, he is still investigating the Stoneman Case, privately on the instructions of his senior, Vikram Gokhale and also gets assistance by a Hawaldaar played by Virendra Saxena. His colleague inspector, Arbaaz Khan, who is more of an opponent, is also working on the same case creating troubles for KK.

What makes the movie, a path-breaking attempt is the dark & shocking secret behind all the murders committed by the Stoneman. It also shows the ugly side of our rotten system we are all living in. As the search progresses, KK manages to solve the case, but his superiors don't let the secret come out in the open for some good reasons of their own. So the case which was duly solved by him, still remains as an unsolved murder mystery in the police records due to its disgraceful truth. I will not like to disclose the mystery here for my friends as that is main highlight of the movie, but i would surely like to add that the twist has a great shock element in store for the viewers.

One more interesting observation is that despite the fact that the movie is based on some brutal and cruel murders committed by a psychopath; still it does not have any bloody or weird visuals. The director very impressively gives you a clean and sober picture without moving into some trance or blood-shed. Instead he chooses to show the real news paper pictures to show the murders committed by the killer on the roadsides. Among the well shot sequences, capable of making you jump on the edge of your seat is the sub-way sequence, when KK has a scuffle with the killer but he manages to escape, injuring KK badly. The interval sequence also leaves you awestruck, with your jaws open, asking for more.

Performance wise, KK as expected delivers another gem of his career. The complete movie moves more around him and he manages to carry it all with elegance and conviction. Vikram Gokhale is impressive once again and perfectly suits the role. Arbaaz has got few scenes and he does a fine job. Rukhsaar as KK's wife though doesn't get a well defined role, but still gives a sober and sweet performance. Virendra Saxena as KK's associate Hawaldaar is one of the most under-rated character artists we have. I still remember his haunting presentation of a Sikh Freedom Fighter in the Tele-Serial "Tamas" and since then have seen him giving many memorable performances in several movies consistently.

In a murder mystery or a thriller, background music has a very important role to play and this department is handled well by the music director giving ample support to the subject and feel. The movie is majorly shot at nights and still you are not taken into dark visuals and dim lightning. So the Cinematography is perfect keeping the scenes bright with proper lighting and effects.

In all, if you are fan of thrillers and murder mysteries, then this is a treat to watch after the recent "A Wednesday". It was indeed a pity that I watched the movie in an almost empty theater. Attempts like these need to be applauded and encouraged by the viewers. But sadly, the Indian movie lovers still go to the theater looking at the faces on the poster and not due to the subject or theme of the movie. I would also like to thank and congratulate Mr. Bobby Bedi (Kaleidoscope), for backing up such projects in these tough recession times.

So, here is another surprising small movie, simply not to be missed.

The Stoneman Murders is an engaging thriller based on the real-life incident of serial killings by a ruthless killer dubbed as the "Stoneman". It takes place in the city of Mumbai, where serial killings are taking place at a rapid pace. Taking its premise from those incidents and referring to media coverage of the case, writer-director Manish Gupta constructs a screenplay that is derived from hard facts where available, and imagination to fill in the gaps.

"The Stoneman Murders" reveals the horrifying secret, like a proper murder mystery should, right at the end. The narrative is linear and non-fussy, the story-telling direct, peppered with some truly chilling moments. The gathering of forensic evidence, the photographs of the corpses, and the sifting that follows is classic detective territory, and the director does a good job of keeping it simple, but keeping it going. Kay Kay Menon takes the film to the heights with his remarkable performance. Arbaaz Khan is good to watch. Vikram Gokhale and Rukhsar are okay. Rest of the cast is average.

On the whole, ʽThe Stoneman Murdersʼ is the finest thriller churned out on Bollywood scene ever. Itʼs an appealing film to watch.

For me movies are all about art, acting & the quality of story. In earlier times there were plays, adaptions of epics on stage, adaptions of succcessful novels also which were all so artistic to watch live. With time & slowly stage plays giving way to movie halls then multiplexes & now even our drawing rooms. The essence of the stage where acting, art & story are still intact. Everybody be it the rich or poor, young or the old wants to spend time watching something good for his / her time. The very fact somebody wants to spend time & money on something it has to be worthy of the art. This is where Stoneman murders scores high, the movie has all the ingredients of a good urban mystrey thriller, it is not slow paced, it moves quickly & mostly shot in the dark streets of Bombay. The movie really transports you to the 1980s, I was in Bombay at that time so I could really feel the real portrayal of the city. Acting of all actors were good, none outclassing the other. Manish Gupta the director has few good movies to his credit, I watched this & Rahasya in both the movies I could see he has a very good editing ability. In many thrillers I have noticed the editing or story gives way & the movie looks a bit flat on the plot. Some of the things look unrealistic but in this everything looks real. It is time we value actors not stars like in stage shows where people used to value the actors. Stars are celebrities they hardly know how to portray realistically on screen.

Stoneman murders is a must watch movie, hope I find few more thrillers like this to watch on free time.

One of the best crime thriller to come outta bollywood. Very atmospheric creepy thriller. Without the star power n without the big budget the movie succeeded in captivating the audiences. Terrific direction by Manish Gupta. Terrific acting by KK Menon n the rest of the cast. Editing by Sanjib Datta is top notch. Srikanth Naroj director of photography did an awesome job with the cinematography. The movie perfectly absorbed the feel of the 80's era, area and the eerie late- night ambiance. The movie succeeded in making the pavements look like black tar unlike the multi- colored jigsaw shaped tiles of today. Details were paid attention to as no modern vehicles were seen on the roads. Despite being a murder mystery, Gupta avoids gore and bloodshed, and makes it visually appealing. There is one amazing erotic scene for front benchers. Awesome ending. Very rare to see this kinda ending in a Bollywood flick. The night scenes were shot very well. It had the atmosphere of chilling dread. Before this flick, ittefaq was my fav Bollywood thriller. Inspite having seen Signpost to murder.

Stoneman is  at its best when it  showcases Gupta's Directorial Skills. He utilizes the night scenes and narrow bylanes wonderfully, crafting shots that are disarmingly beautiful but also serve to establish the chilling emptiness of the area, where screams can travel for miles without being heard.

I saw this movie in theater with my dad when it released. Felt the need to write the review, as just saw a lil bit today on some channel.

Fans of zodiac, memories of murder, bereavement n malevolent shud definitely check this out. Also check The abandoned (2006) directed by Nacho Cerdà. Awesome atmospheric horror film with beautiful n creepy cinematography.