Labelled as a remake of the famous Hollywood WhoDunnit Seven, Samay started off on the WRONG FOOT, which led to Disastrous Box-Office collections and subsequent brick-bats from critics all over. Some like me didn’t even think of wasting time watching it since I’ve seen Seven and knew what was going to happen next.
Few days back, the very same movie appeared on TV, thanks to my cable operator. I was a little ignorant about it, till I got a little curious, given my mind, which was always into comparing originals with remakes. Finally I gave in to my interest, and starting watching it, with keen interest to make out the loopholes and give the movie a royal WHIPLASH in my revu. Samay proved me wrong.
For the first time (after Khamosh), I enjoyed a Murder Mystery Wholeheartedly, even though I knew all the twists in the tale (including the climax!). U must be thinking, what about Gupt and the others…well, according to me they were quasi-thrillers, with songs and cleavage thrown in to attract audiences. Samay instead followed the path laid down by Khamosh, which was to keep out unnecessary stuff and concentrate on the plot.
I would like to Praise as well Criticize Debutante Director Robby Grewal.
He deserves praise for giving us a Well-Made Whodunnit, which oozes with Style and Technical Chutzpah, keeps the viewer engrossed for most part of the movie (the climax is a LETDOWN though!).
He deserves Criticism in the Harshest of words for completely PHOTOCOPYING the concept as well as the execution from Seven. One wonders why he did not spend enough time creating his own script…..Why is BOLLYWOOD so Empty of Ideas???!!!
Coming to the other aspects of the movie, I would not like to go in detail about the Story/Screenplay as it is lifted directly from Seven, except that there the killer leaves clues that remain a Mystery till the very end, whereas here the killer leaves clues that lead to some sort of conclusion. There are some details though, that remain a Mystery to the viewer till the very end.
The Technical Aspects are :
Cinematography by Mohanan deserves TOP MARKS….part of the credit goes to Robby as well….the atmosphere they create together matches Hollywood standards. The lighting as well as the angles are Too Good!
Music/Background Score by Sandeep Chowta too deserves a SPECIAL MENTION…that sound of a clock ticking is used Incredibly well as Background Music and goes a long way in heightening the tension in some scenes.
Dialogues too deserve some credit since they are Short and To the Point….no BLA! BLA! business here!
Art Direction is Commendable, especially the Forensic Lab and some other details are very well done!
Performances are Top Class….
Sushmita Sen gives the role her Best Shot and comes out a WINNER! Her performance is one of the highlights of the movie. She neatly snuggles herself into the role and looks dashing in the Format Wear she sports thru’out the movie.
Sushant Singh and the Baldie Forensic Expert too chip in with Sincere Performances. Kudos to Robby Grewal for handling Forensics with tad more maturity than other directors who make a MESS of it!
The Killer has just one scene in the movie….here the Casting seems to have gone a little haywire. Jackie looks too tired and old to be a Serial Killer on the loose!
Samay is Decent Entertainment. Even then, with all these Ups, it FAILS simply because it offers us NOTHING NEW. Recycling Hollywood hits is a BIG Risk and this time sadly, it hasn’t paid off!!