"Offbeat", But Unbeatable!!

‘Manorama Six Feet Under’ gives you the same amount of thrill and excitement as a good suspense novel. It keeps you gripped till the very end. There are numerous twists and turns, plots and subplots, that ultimately lead to a brilliant movie. The tag line of the film “In the desert, nothing is what it seems” perfectly summarizes the plot. The story is not at all predictable; it keeps you guessing throughout. You may start developing your own theories to solve the mystery, but there is a remote possibility of you accurately predicting the end of the movie! The last 45 minutes are the best part of this film, where the entire mystery unfolds and leaves you completely stunned! This is where it differs from the usual suspense movies, which often fizzle out during the climax.

The story is based in a small village in Rajasthan, and the slow motion of the plot quite justifies the sleepiness of the locale. Abhay Deol has played the character of Satyaveer (SV) to perfection. He effortlessly portrays the “failed” detective novel writer turned sleuth. In my opinion, Abhay Deol’s strongest virtue is that he naturally looks and behaves like a “common man” and doesn’t seem to be “acting”! Gul Panag is good as the nagging wife Nimmi, but her “Hinglish” dialogues show traces of an upper-class and polished English accent, which does not go well with her character’s background. Moreover, an exact contrast to her is her brother Brij (Vinay Pathak), who has a heavy Rajasthani accent! Wonder how 2 people in the same household grew up with such huge linguistic dissimilarity! Anyways, this is a minor glitch, and does not affect the brilliance of the film at all. Raima Sen is perfect for her character of Sheetal. Kulbhushan Kharbanda is dependable as the minister P.P. Rathore. Sarika has a small, yet well-defined role, and she makes her presence felt. The other supporting cast is adequate. The background score throughout the movie is very good, and the title song is quite haunting! The cinematography is excellent. The director has been very meticulous, making sure that nothing looks out of place or fake. Right from the backdrop to the props, costumes, and make up, everything is just right.

In conclusion, ‘Manorama Six Feet Under’ is like reading a book on screen. Although some might get turned off by the pace of the movie, I would definitely recommend this film to everyone. It is one of the best mysteries of recent times. Kudos to the debutant director Navdeep Singh!