A lot of filmmakers proudly warn (or rather claim) that their film is ‘not for the faint-hearted’. Most of such warnings falls flat as a chunk of such films are nothing but damp squibs. I am not aware if the Bhatts did something similar for Murder 2. But if they had, it would have been completely justified. Murder 2 scares the daylight of viewers and how! The villain is one of the scariest I’ve seen in our cinema. However, the film is devoid of what one expects most from Murder series-intimate scenes. There are hardly any titillating scenes and even the ones that are there seemed unnecessarily added.
The story of the movie: Arjun Bhagwat (Emraan Hashmi) is an ex-cop in Goa who is into all wrong things…well, almost. A pimp, Sameer, approaches him for help. 4 call girls working under him have gone missing. This has scared the other girls who are refusing to go for work. And this is not a good thing during the year-end time when business is in full swing for Sameer. Arjun, while solving the case, is also fighting his own demons. Priya (Jacqueline Fernandez) is in love with Arjun and Arjun too loves her but is hesitant into getting into a stable relationship. Arjun meanwhile asks Sameer to ready a girl as bait to catch the person who’s behind the disappearance of the call girls. However, it turns out to be a wrong move by Arjun which makes him deeply guilty. How will he overcome it? And who’s this man behind the disappearing girls? What is his motive? Catch Murder 2 to find out the answers!
The film begins on a thrilling note with ‘Aa Zara’ song (Yana Gupta) and also gives an idea about the film’s theme and the kind of violence viewers are about to witness. Arjun’s entry is clapworthy-just the kind you expect for a ‘Hindi film hero’. However, the film goes downhill from here with the entry of Priya in the narrative. No doubt, the conversations between them are interesting. But the romantic track serves no purpose except in the climax. Even the intimate scenes were a drag. The makers can’t be blamed though. After all, it’s Murder 2, the sequel to a film that’s remembered more for its sizzling quotient. Alternatively, they could have opted for a story that would have had scope for both sex and violence, on the lines of Murder 1. However, all these complaints don’t hold much ground as the film rises after the dull sequences.
As mentioned before, the negative character indulges in some extremely violent stuff. You need to have a strong stomach to witness his modus operandi and ways of killing girls…hence the ‘not for faint hearted’ justification. Nevertheless, the film keeps you hooked with its unpredictable twists and turns. The viewers wait with bated breath as to what’ll happen next and that’s where Murder 2 scores the most. Secondly, the performances are simply extraordinary especially of Prashant Narayanan, the villain.
The film gets better as it moves ahead. The second half is extremely fast-paced. Several scenes will linger for long especially Dheeraj’s (Prashant) flashback and his confrontation with the doctor (Shweta Kawatra). However, the pre-climax and the climax take the cake. Simply fabulous!
While everyone has performed extremely well, the two actors that impress the most are the ones ignored in the promotion – Prashant Narayanan and Sulagna Panigrahi (Reshma). This is easily Prashant’s finest act till date. One feels the jitters as soon as he comes on screen. Whether it’s crooning Bheege Honth Tere, misleading the cop investigations or brutally finishing his victims, Prashant gets it all right and oozes style and scare. Sulagna has a meatier role than Jacqueline and delivers a terrific performance. Watch out for her!
Emraan Hashmi initially seemed a bit odd in his new hairdo. But like all the various looks he has donned in his films, this one perfectly suits him too. And performance wise, he was yet again splendid. Jacqueline Fernandez, although doesn’t have much to do, does a nice job. She looks sizzling from start to finish. Shweta Kawatra stands out. Sandiip Sikcand (Nirmala Pandit) was outstanding as the eunuch. Sudhanshu Pandey (Sadanand), the cop who arrests Emraan, the guy who played Sameer and other do a great job.
Songs gel well with the proceedings. Aye Khuda (Mithoon) comes at a right time and is easily the best of the lot. Haal-E-Dil and Tujhko Bhulana are foot tapping songs while Aa Zara, featuring Yana Gupta, is sizzling. Raju Singh’s background music, although loud at time, adds to the scare quotient. Ravi Walia’s cinematography is alright. Javed-Aejaz’ action sequences were gory.
Mahesh Bhatt’s story, loosely inspired from the Korean flick, was perfect for a thrilling film. Shagufta Rafique, Bhatt camp’s dependable writer, provides a watertight screenplay for most part of the film although some scenes instantly remind of Woh Lamhe, Awarapan and Raaz-The Mystery Continues. Wish if there was a nice balance between intimacy and violence. Her dialogues were too good though.
Director Mohit Suri, after delivering average flicks like Raaz 2 and Crook, is back in form with Murder 2. This is especially in the 2nd half where his terrific execution ensures you don’t get the chance to even blink your eyes. Some questions are wisely left unanswered and left for the audience to interpret. All in all, a great work and hope he maintains this form in his upcoming films too!
Some of the best scenes:
The songs ‘Aa Zara’ and ‘Aye Khuda’
Arjun told to find the missing girls
Dheeraj gets Reshma to his house (scary)
Dheeraj and Arjun come face to face
Dheeraj and Arjun at the police station
The intermission point
Dheeraj’s flashback
Psychologist confronts Dheeraj
The violence in the temple
The climax
On the whole, go for Murder 2 with the right expectations. There’s hardly any scope for intimacy. The characters are dark, demonic and the film is full of bloodshed. Having said that, it’s a still worth watch for Murder 2 is a racy thriller that succeeds in keeping the audiences beautifully engaged. The terrific performances are like an icing on the cake. Easily one of the finest films this year!