Mickey Virus

Bollywood finally welcomes a caper comedy which samples the much-awaited "hacking" element. Only, the film, with a let-down plot, overstays and gives an impression that it did got infected by the Trojan... the Bollywood Trojan!

The mumbo-jumbo is fantastic for a commoner, but if you are a computer-freak and know a thing or two about hacking and stuff, you are in for utter disappointment. Why? Because the samples, borrowed from various sources (other films, quotes, books, memes, usual parlance, etc.) lack plausibility. The degree of technicality is a gimmick: the film showcases the fictionalized material of computers, hacking & cryptography.

The plot is ludicrous, mind you! The makers/writers have taken a predictable heist plot and juxtaposed it with teeny Delhi & the computer fundamentals. Cast is fine, where Varun Badola stands out. Elli Avram should munch on probably the first & the last film of her career.

Music & songs are good. And the B'wood Trojan I was talking about is the climax sequence, which happens in a type of garage (remember the tons of movies that end at a derelict garage/warehouse?) where the characters narrate what happened so that the viewers can make sense of the plot; wonderful! And you will ask where the hell was the virus involved? You mean the Mickey Virus? Oh, please!

Finally, the witty lines, generous humor, Dilliwalli language, 2 plot twists and the sex quotient of the newbie makes me rate it average.

BOTTOM LINE: In an attempt to create a breakthrough, Mickey Virus gets infected halfway. Yet, for the heck of it, Mickey Virus is a calm/mindless watch on a Sunday afternoon. Of course, you could wait for the rentals. Faintly recommended!

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

Profanity: Very Mild | Nudity/Sex/Vulgarity: No | Mouth-Kiss/Foreplay: Very Mild | Alcohol/Smoking/Drugs: No | Violence/Gore: Mediocre

Welcome to the world of hackers and Trojans – with enough idiosyncrasy and meticulousness, writer/director Saurabh Varma narrates a story which is seldom witnessed on the silver screen. With its titular resemblance to the sleeper hit of 2012,Vicky Donor , Mickey Virus is a complete departure in its theme and subject which delves into the murky world of cyber-crime and hacking keeping the humor quotient intact.

Set in New Delhi, the plot is centered around a lazy mastermind , a genius hacker Mickey Arora (Manish Paul ) who is hired by the Delhi Police led by ACP Sidhant (Manish Chaudhary) and his assistant Bhalla(Varun Badola) to crack the racket of the cyber gangsters who have created ruckus in the city through serial murders. Mickey is a slacker , hangs out with his gang – Chutney, Floppy and Panjo who are whiz-kids in their own admissions and is smitten by the sexy lady, Kamayani(Elli Avram). After a lot of resistance due to his work-phobic attitude, he succumbs to the demands of the ACP who is hell-bent on this 'Hacking ki duniya ka Sehwag' but little does Mickey know that he is sucked into the whirlpool of dangerous nexus with life-threatening ramifications. What happens next !

Varma picks the nuances of Saddi Dilli with flourish – the grey marketplace of Nehru place where people even sell 'W' alphabet of the keyboard as 'M' (After all , its oolta M !)are captured with great details. He has done his research on the subject well and this becomes more apparent from the plethora of information bombarded on the average viewer related to internet and software lingoes(server crash, firewall, buffering..).After a few funny sequences in the beginning, he throws us altogether into a different orbit of intrigue and mystery and keeps us riveted till the climactic revelation. There are particularly no glaring flaws but I wish Varma could have been more innovative while dealing with the serious portions and the romantic angle involving Manish and Elli. He appears myopic while handling the cat-and-mouse game where every tick of the clock matters.

Manish Paul is a delight to watch ! As a débutant (with a passable cameo in Farah Khan's disastrous TMK as Master India), he exudes charm and confidence with his impeccable comic timing.His vocal rendering(Pyar China ka maal hai ) is equally quirky !Elli Avram looks jaw-dropping gorgeous and is sincere in her part. Mickey's hack-gang comprising of Raghav Kakkar, Puja Gupta and others give him a credible support.Manish Chaudhry is very convincing as the stern cop, but the real combat machine here is Varun Badola who triumphs with his ingenious straight- faced humor and mouths crackling dialogues with typical Haryanwi accent.

If suspense thrillers are your cup of cake, then go for it – You will have a good time ! And that's not all, there is a scope for its sequel too !

My Rating : 3/5

Overall it's a good movie. The script was strong too but didn't like the making of the climax. An above average performance from the lead Manish Paul.

Mickey Virus is not a great film by any stretch of imagination but the creators of this film have my respect for trying out something new and unique. The majority of the film is quite enjoyable, but I didn't like how they handled the climax. I have no issues with the inaccurate depiction of hacking as such because it's understandable that the idea is to entertain the viewers and not to turn their experience into a college lecture.

WHAT'S GOOD :

1. This movie has a fresh subject at it's core; the world of hackers. We do have heroes and villains, but it's not the usual story.

2. The movie takes you by surprise at multiple points with it's twists and reveals. I did not expect to see any deaths in the film, let alone the death of a key character half way through the film.

3. Manish Paul's comic timing is pretty good. Manish has done quite well in the past as a television host and this role almost felt like an extension of what he usually does. The expressions on Manish's face and his body language were extremely natural and never felt like he was forcing himself to act.

4. Elli Evrram or Elisabeth Emily Granlund Avramidou looked stunningly beautiful in the film. It's easy to see why she was finalized for this film but the thing to note is that she never came across as an expressionless beauty, this girl can actually act. I wish they hadn't dubbed her voice though, because the voice just didn't suit her and reduced the impact of her dialogues. Viewers can see that she is a foreigner, so why would it be a problem if she spoke with an accent? It's quite surprising to see that an actress who is not from India but can speak better Hindi than Katrina Kaif and Jacqueline Fernandez, looks absolutely gorgeous and is actually capable of acting, is still struggling for work despite being an active part of the Indian Film Industry for the last ten years.

5. The supporting actors are quite good. Manish Chaudhari's command over his craft reflects in every single dialogue of his; he is extremely grounded in his role of Siddhant. Varun Badola, the criminally underrated and underutilized actor is flawless as Inspector Bhalla. Among the friends of Mickey, Puja Gupta was quite charming as Chutney.

WHAT'S NOT GOOD :

1. The movie deserved a better climax than all major characters just standing in one location and reading lines from a teleprompter.

2. At one point, Manish Paul informs Varun Badola that he has reached quite deep inside the website of 'Bhram Gang', so how is it possible that he never bothered to check out the administrators of the website? That was a plot hole the writers conveniently ignored.

Micky Virus comes across as a light hearted entertainer that turns into an interesting thriller later on, but one can't deny that it's not a very polished product. It's definitely watchable, but keep your expectations on the lower side.

I enjoyed the movie. The young hacker was well played by the newcomer Manish. And the two other major characters , the police ACP and his side kick Valla, was played quite believably by the actors. There are some welcome twists. Kamyani was played with delectable visuals by Elli avram. Her entry point as the cartoon character Kung fu chameli was stunning in an yellow sari. The rapid progression to love seemed forced but the focus of the screenplay was on the other issue. The laid back but shrewd character of young hacker was portrayed well. Shades of Noir thriller comes into the fore towards the end. Some amount fun is there in the interplay between the lead characters. Well worth a watch in an evening.