7 Khoon Maaf

Cast: Priyanka Chopra, John Abraham, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Irrfan Khan, Naseeruddin Shah, Annu Kapoor, Vivaan Shah, Aleksandr Dyachenko

Director: Vishal Bhardwaj

Chalk up an absolute winner for the Vishal Bhardwaj Priyanka Chopra team. They make a coherent vision out of an inconceivable marital crises. How do you make sense of a woman who's an incorrigible potentially loathsome serial spouse killer who when challenged about her weird passion for changing husbands by divine decree rather than the law of the land, turns around and says, "This heart of mine, it's to blame." Wicked laughter follows. And dammit, we are amused! How does one make head or 'tale' of such a woman? Well, the first thing a director with a canny sense and sensibility does is sign Priyanka Chopra to play the wretchedly unfulfilled, genetically incomplete woman, a living, throbbing warning against the institution of marriage! Priyanka, not for the first time, proves she is leagues ahead of all competition. She approaches this strange and sensual creature of the night from the outside and then quietly makes inroads into the woman's heart and soul. We can actually see the character's snarled inner-world on Priyanka's face! We don't even know when and how she does it. Priyanka is that kind of a player.

Vishal Bharadwaj has earlier made films about gangs and gangsterism. Every time the dark brooding atmospheric surface seemed to suggest a life of sinister suppressions. Those unspoken, intangible thoughts and visions that often guide a human being to his or her doom are outlined in "7 Khoon Maaf" with supreme poetic elegance. This is Bhardwaj's most fluidly-narrated film to date. Of course, having Gulzar on board helps. He pens Urdu poetry for Irrfan Khan and rock poetry for John Abraham. For Priyanka poetry is not needed. She creates a kind of indecipherable poetic statement for her deeply dysfunctional character who kills 6 husbands and moves to the 7th at the end of the film with the profound satirical grief of a woman who has discovered that this world has no true love to offer her. True love Now that's an idea. At heart Vishal's dark elegiac film is about the search for true love. The relationship that Sussanna (Priyanka) forms with a young boy(Vivaan Shah) as she goes from one husband to another remains at the core of the film. In a macabre subversion of the almost-pure love that Susanna shares with Vivaan's character, at one point in the narration she tries to seduce the boy who's almost like a son. It's a dark ugly moment, almost repugnant in its incestuous resonances but in keeping with the character's insatiable appetite for destruction.

Vishal Bhardwaj brings to the storyboard a deep sense of tragic grandeur even as Susanna slips from self-gratification to delusional spirituality. Priyanka Chopra has already proved herself way ahead of her contemporaries in her earlier works notably "Fashion" and "What's Your Raashee". In "7 Khoon Maaf" she moves to another level, displaying a range of emotions and age-changes (minus prosthetics) that one last saw in Shabana Azmi's performances. Priyanka's sequences with Irrfan Khan (playing a gentle poet who transforms into a sexual pervert in bed) are stuff poetic nightmares are made of. We can clearly see the cinematographer (Ranjan Palit) is not in love with the actress, but the character. His camera searches for intransigent images in Susanna's life, even as Priyanka's quest for the character's core takes her into areas of self-expression that are far beyond the reach of cinema acting as we know it.

A Sreekar Prasad edits the life of Susanna with a surety that, alas,the character never comes close to achieving in her dealings with the opposite sex. Sreekar creates a symphonic seamless movement from one husband to another, sometimes joining segments in Susanna's life with visuals that would otherwise seem incompatible. The husbands are all played by actors who have no qualms in stripping away their vanity to become the kind of suave but duplicitous untrustworthy spouses who cheat and betray for the sake of the opposite emotion to love. Irrfan Khan as a wolf in poet's clothing, Naseeruddin Shah as the affable old Bengali dietician (his Bengali accent is more dead-on than any true-blue Bengalis) and John Abraham as a stereotypical rock musician gone to poppy-seed, are pitch-perfect in their creating a drama of the callous for Priyanka's character. But it's Neil Nitin Mukesh as her first legless army-man husband whose display of clenched menace jolts you.

As a storyteller Vishal Bhardwaj has never been more in command of his language. He punctuates Susanna's story with bouts of unexpected humour and poetry. Providentially the murders are committed in ways that appear more humorous than savage. And that's both a good and a bad thing. The narrative shows a rare understanding of the gender dynamics and the sexual tensions between men and women. Priyanka Chopra's interaction with the unctuous and closet-horny police officer Anu Kapoor delectably illustrates the fable of the Temptress & The Besotted. And by the way Viagara never seemed funnier.

Priyanka Chopra goes from husband-to-husband with a mocking sigh of resigned surrender. She is not a victim. But neither is she the hero of the bizarre web of destruction and delusion that her character weaves around her.When you have Vishal Bhardwaj movie you expect nothing but perfection. He is one of the few directors who manage to come up with something that can leave you wanting for more; be it Maqbool, Omkara or Kaminey. And with 7 Khoon Maaf he further establishes his prowess as a director. However, how appealing the story is, is another matter of discussion! 7 Khoon Maaf is not the run of the mill love story. It is rather a story of search of love and happiness of a woman called Susanna. And in her she comes across various men, each man giving her some hope. But the marriages lead to disappointments driving her to a position when she decides to kill the husband. She may have just left a few of them without killing, but as one of her aids explains, Susanna never believed in running away but believed in killing the problem!

The story manages to bring out the change in the character of Susanna brilliantly as she gets more and more frustrated, almost to a psychotic level - almost enjoying some murders! But then you also fail to see a solid conclusion to her story, which could make her entire journey meaningless. There is something missing and also it gets enormously heavy for an audience who may be looking for any sort of entertainment out of a movie. But these things are overpowered by Bhardwaj's screenplay and director and of course the performances. This could have become an abnormally long film but the director's expertise is seen in the way he uses time lapses. 7 Khoon Maaf becomes one of the best crafted movies of recent times. Vishal not only gets the casting and characters right he also gets the time lapse right. The story is set in an undisclosed location, Susanna's aging is documenting through various milestone dates in Indian history in last 50 years. And his characters are a realistic part of these settings. Be it the rock-and-roll guy in the '80s, the poet in the troubled Kashmir, or the Russian spy working in India before the country becomes a nuclear power! Technically too the film scored very high with first rate work of cinematography and editing. The music is relevant to the settings and the story, apart from being very appealing.

Performances, as all of Bhardwaj's films, are superlative. Priyanka Chopra manages to amaze with her versatility. Neil's short stint is powerful and he will be silencing a lot of critics with this film. Irrfan Khan and Annu Kapoor leave a mark. Russian actor Aleksandr Dyachenko is effective. Naseeruddin Shah yet again proves that he is one of the Gods of acting. In a very small role the actor manages leave you wanting for more. He plays a Bengali who speaks Hindi with a mother tongue influence and yet never makes it look like a caricature, which most people end up being. But among all these actors stands tall debutant Vivaan Shah, the younger son of Naseer. He ages from 17 to 45 and what a remarkable job he does! Overall 7 Khoon Maaf could leave you loaded with thoughts and doubts. The fact that it is more of a journey without a regular conclusion could be disturbing to some part of the audience. Also as mentioned earlier it is not the regular entertainer and is quite brooding and dark. But there are far too many good things in the film to leave you unsatisfied. Watch this film.The film is based on Ruskin Bond's "Susanne's Seven Husbands" and tracks the story of a beautiful young girl Susanna Anna-Marie Johannes (Priyanka) who ends up tying the knot seven times following untimely and mysterious deaths of her hapless husbands And due to strange circumstances, Susanna becomes the prime suspect.

Produced by UTV Spotboy and Bharadwaj himself, it stars Neil Nitin Mukesh, John Abraham, Irrfan Khan, Naseeruddin Shah, Annu Kapoor and Russian actor Aleksandr Dyachenko. Naseer's son Vivaan also plays one of the husbands in the thriller. In the film, Priyanka's character ages from 20 years to 65. The first story titled "Adamkhor Major" has Neil playing the role of Major Edwin Rodrigues. Susanna falls for him as he looks dashing in uniform; he's however a bit old for her and likes to give orders. Good looking guys are Susanna's weakness. Post-Edwin's death, Susanna decides to marry Jimmy, played by John, as she is floored by his good looks and musical talent. She, however, doesn't have any idea what's in store for her. This story is called "Ek Duje Ke Liye". But Jimmy also dies and then enters poet Wasiullah Khan a.k.a. Musafir played by Irrfan. Impressed by his poetry, Susanna marries him too. Although during the day he is gentle, as the dark dawns upon, he becomes something else. This story is called "Mussafir Hoon Yaaron". "Amar Prem" sees Susanna falling for Nicolai Vronsky, played by Russian actor Aleksandr Dyachenko, from Moscow but this marriage doesn't last long as Vronsky dies too.

Following the death of Susanna's previous husbands, the police start taking keen interest in the case. So police officer Keemat Lal enters Susanna's life. He not only persuades her to marry him but also makes it impossible for her to say no. Their story is titled "Pyaar Ki Keemat". After the death of Keemat, Susanna is attracted to Dr. Modhusudon Tarafdar. Titled "Mashroom Da", as the story progresses Susanne is now suffering from melancholy and her husband Naseer puts her on mushroom only diet. The seventh husband is played by Vivaan, but the story has been kept under wraps. For her role, Priyanka had to go through seven different age makeovers, for which prosthetics had to play a vital part. Bharadwaj had hired Hollywood special make-up effects artist Greg Cannom of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" fame to create those seven different looks.

It is also being said that to make Priyanka look like a 65-year-old woman, the make-up team used Priyanka's grandmother's photo for ideas. Like always, Bharadwaj has also composed the music for the film. The Indian version of traditional Russian folk song "Kalinka", "Darling" instantly struck a chord with the music buffs. It has been sung by Bharadwaj's wife Rekha and Usha Uthup.This statement pretty much summarises what the character played by Priyanka Chopra goes through in '7 Khoon Maaf'. Well that could have been the thought of the audience as well which starts going through the motions within 45 minutes of the film. When you have someone really angry (Neil Nitin Mukesh), a drug addict (John Abraham), a sadist (Irrfan Khan), a spy (Aleksandr Dyachenko), a sex-hungry Romeo (Anu Kapoor) and an opportunist (Naseruddin Shah) entering into your life one after another, there is indeed something wrong in the script. No, not of character's life but the one written for the film.

Really, the film tests your patience and Vishal Bhardwaj manages the impossible by keeping '7 Khoon Maaf' thoroughly boring throughout the film's length hence ensuring that many didn't even bother to stay back in theatre when the epilogue around the 'saatvaan khoon' began. Yes, it did happen where I saw the film and yes it was in an upmarket multiplex where the target audience the urban intellgentsia was seated. Another reason that makes one wonder why was '7 Khoon Maaf' ever mounted with such star cast because frankly, a lot of talent is actually wasted big time here. Irrfan Khan is the one who would be most disappointed as not just his episode the most boring of lot, his performance too is hardly anything to boast about, something which isn't something that goes with his name. The actor who was totally in form in 'Yeh Saali Zindagi' just a few days back is just out of sorts here.

Naseruddin Shah is another actor whose services were just not required in this film. In any case he features in a rather hurried episode and whatever little he does is also something which could have been done by anyone far junior in experience and skills. For all the talks of Anu Kapoor leaving an impact in the film then well, his act sounds more like hamming then comical. Neil Nitin Mukesh leaves the maximum impact amongst all and also features in the best of the stories. Unfortunately it's the first to come which means there isn't much remaining for the audience in the film to follow.

John Abraham as a drug addict with a kinky touch is superb while occupying stage as a rockstar. However his role is short-lived which means one has to be content with whatever unimpressive that follows next. Aleksandr Dyachenko comes across as a confident actor but his episode takes a predictable route. This is where silver lining comes in the form of Priyanka Chopra who is frankly the only reason that makes one at least sit through '7 Khoon Maaf'. Really, with a lesser actress the film would have been totally unbearable due to its plot movement and weird storyline. However one expected an act of substance from Priyanka and this is what one gets from her right from start to the finish of the film.

All said and done, the film is an ordeal to go through and only ends up making one remember disasters like 'Raavan', 'Kites' and the mother of them all 'No Smoking' that tried telling different stories (or telling them differently) but failed, hence leading to total disconnect from the audience, '7 Khoon Maaf' doesn't do any better and unfortunately turns out to be Vishal Bhardwaj's weakest attempt till date."This is a tough story to pull off and despite the voluminous talent on display here from director co writer composer Vishal Bhardwaj to Priyanka to co-stars like Irrfan Khan and Naseeruddin Shah the film stumbles and fumbles." feels Anupama Chopra (NDTV).

Nikhal Kazmi (Times of India) warns the film is not for someone who's just looking for entertainment, rather it has many layers to it. Says she, "7 Khoon Maaf is an intensely dark film which unfolds in shadows and silhouettes. So, if you aren't mistakenly looking for entertainment here, you are going to love this half-lit canvas of crime and punishment which lays bare the innermost recesses of a tortured soul. Vishal never once slips and lets go of his hold on this intense study of grief and grime. From the very first shot, which explodes with a grimacing Priyanka pulling the trigger on God knows who, the director inexorably draws you into this welter of passion and crime. All the death play takes place in semi-darkness: an almost outward pouring of an evil soul." Performances "Amongst the remaining cast, Annu Kapoor leaves the maximum impact. He's simply outstanding! John doesn't really get much scope, Neil is effective, Irrfan is wonderfully restrained, Naseer is believable and Aleksandr is passable. Vivaan Shah, who narrates the story of Susanna, is a talent to watch out for. Though it's his maiden film as an actor, it doesn't seem like one. He is not your regular debutant and that's what makes his character appear so real. Konkona Sen Sharma does well. Usha Uthup and the two male helps are good," says Taran Adarsh. "Thankfully Susanna has more texture. She is a chameleon vulnerable and tearful in one moment and an unfeeling viper in the next. Susanna is vain and cruel and Priyanka doesn’t try to soften her. Instead she revels in the chance to go twisted, dark and frankly ugly. But beyond a point, even she can’t prop up the sagging plot," says Anupama Chopra.It's quite a 'David Lincher' (Zodiac, Se7en) sort of scene, if you will. A frustrated army major points his half broken leg towards his wife half circling it to the right of the screen, calmly sipping on whisky from his couch.

The wife's patiently taken his Jaipur foot off. The sight's a bit gross. She's also just pissed him off, having danced provocatively with another young man at a party before. He's a violent dude. There's an uneasy chill in the air. You know something will happen. But the moment stays somewhat frozen in the anticipation alone! This officer (Neil Nitin Mukesh), who lost his leg to Punjab's Operation Bluestar in '84, we're told, would make for the most typical Indian husband: boring, possessive, insecure, maha shakki (super suspicious). This could well be true for the typical Indian wife. But that's another matter. The friendless, wealthy wife in this film is atypical in every way. For one, she's had more than a few husbands, serially addicted, as she seems, to men and marriages. For a woman, she's also unusually good at keeping secrets. She eventually confesses, "Humans haven't known an accident worse than a wedding." I think they have: it's called getting murdered for it, maybe!

The film's title suggests, so you figure, the heroine will have blood in her fingers each time she ties the proverbial knot. You still remain glued to the screen. For Priyanka Chopra, who plays the Anglo-Indian protagonist, this is unquestionably a role of a lifetime. She has you by the eyeballs. So does most of the movie. The husband Susanna picks up after the lame major is the sort of boy "Hindustani girls fall for quite easily: Someone who plays the guitar! This one sings well too (John Abraham)." He's a desi 'Axl Rose' in his delusions, with Scottish kilt around his waist, lost to a harem of female fans, and doses of heroin. He calls himself Jimmy. The only rock-star Jimmy you're likely to know from the '80s is Mithun from Disco Dancer! You're aware this dubious fellow will follow the last one to the grave. As would the others lined up after him.

Each husband of Susanna's, it turns out, is sick in the head (and bed) in uniquely separate ways. She adopts each one nonetheless, sometimes trusting hope over experience. Few things remain constant in her life thence, besides a poor boy she raises in her stud farm (Vivaan; remarkably understated), who narrates this film; a few house helps, who still stand by her; and that obedient bottle of potent alcohol. Her Victorian bungalow is a loner's den. India plays out as the larger backdrop of this claustrophobic story. We watch subtle and major events, both in politics and popular culture, unfold through the mid-80s, up until almost the present. This is also the period India herself openly swapped her global partners in bed.

I don't know if the metaphor's intended: One of the husbands Susanna bumps off is an Indophile Russian spy, who helps with secrets for '98 nuclear tests! She was the loved Anna (Karenina) to his hopelessly shady, useless Vronsky. Daarrling, he had to go! So many murders, and with such little concern for investigation, verification, let alone redemption, you could argue, 'normalises' killings no end. But that's usually a pop philosopher's concern never the filmgoer's. This movie, in some ways, is the complete, exact opposite of the popular, American 'fem-jep' ('females in jeopardy') genre. Wherein a woman silently goes through male hell. She seeks sympathy (or secret delight) from her audiences. Eventually she comes of age (look up Madhur Bhandarkar movies closer home!).

Vishal Bhardwaj's directed, produced, written, and composed both soundtrack and background score for this film, revealing himself yet again as that rare Renaissance man in an art form that deserves more. Bhardwaj's screenplay is admittedly based on a reworked Ruskin Bond short story. The author and filmmaker had referred to Quentin Tarantino's female fight fest Kill Bill in their last film together (Blue Umbrella, 2007). Not sure if that should now be listed as premonition, or promise for things to come. But this ain't no Kill Bill. There is no underworld blood-thirst or pornographically gruesome revenge to extract. It's in fact impossible to figure why the serial bride here prefers deaths to simple divorce, jumps into marriage over casual relationships instead.

It's hard to tell if she's plain unlucky in love, or deliberately attracts males of the worst kind. This isn't entirely a closer look at the baser side of women either you could like that, given every other film explores the natural instincts of men (violence, sex etc). The story line, the main character's motivations, or her mental state, are not the picture's prime concerns. The movie is clearly crafted around strong, effective scenes alone: a lot of it, cleanly cut and clinical, a whole lot immediately compelling. The other time you will feel instantly queasy from your seat is when Irrfan's character (husband no 4?), a Kashmiri poet, soft in his verse, shockingly turns out as dangerously sadomasochistic in bed. He slaps her, pushes himself again. His kurta hangs loosely over his thigh. His eyes haunt you. He goes after the wife. You cringe. Huff I know, the next time you miss your husband: you'd unlock the gun. Reload the bullets. Aim again! Sorry for that poor Internet joke. But yeah, you needn't miss this partly captivating movie either.