I have always been a sucker for suspense movies. I have seen some especially bad ones just because of this ohsession. It is a heady feeling to guess the murderer before the end of a novel or a movie. To be one up on the author or the director. If some of the movies/books I have seen/read have given me this pleasure, some of them have fascinated me for defeating me to the post in my venture.
Apart from the above reason, what made me watch Samay was that for the first time, Hindi cinema had attempted a genre totally alien to it. A female detective agent with no hero and almost no songs. The ads were promising enough.
The story is about a series of murders, three to be precise. Ms. Malavika Chahuhan (Sushmita Sen) sets out to unravel the plot behind the three murders, which, she feels are connected to each other. A top notch industrialist, A top heroine and a Top Criminal....is it going to be the turn of the topmost detective (you know who) next? The murderer, to his credit has left behind some clues for her to follow up on.
Despite my strong inclination to do so, I will not reveal the ending because if you are a sucker like me, you will watch the movie anyway. So, let me not ruin it for you.
Pros: The movie has been shot on a tight budget by idreams but it does not look it. The production values are pretty good. Sushmita sen as the detective is adequate but I did wish that this role had been handled by Kajol. Ms Sen looks too tired at places and really, does not look, feel or act like that she is THE best officer in the whole of India. The background score is good and the pace of the movie is not hampered by too many songs. The screenplay is okey dokey and does manage to keep the viewer riveted to his seat.
Cons: Sadly, apart from the above, everything else is a drawback. But the biggest drawback for a suspense movie freak like me is the ending. It is such a BIG LETDOWN. The idea of any suspense story is to keep the viewer guessing as to who is the murderer (villain) among the charecters being shown. But what happens is something else altogether.....
My Verdict: Since a suspense story with a bad (make that terrible) ending is not a suspense story at all, this movie fails miserably. It is not decent to be one up on your audience by cheating them. And to top it, give such illogical reasons for the murders in a long drawn, implausible, worn out climax with no meat in it.
Sorry, Mr Robby Grewal, with your first movie, you have failed to draw, well...blood.