- By Piyali Bhadra
- Sat, 12 Nov 2022 11:40 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
MONICA O My Darling is another Bollywood thriller comedy with a delicious mix of wickedness and a ton of edge suspense which will make your 2 hour-10 minutes a mysterious ride. The cruel and direct sharpness of director Vasan Bala’s film showcases the details perfectly where the plot stands to be different from just being another Bollywood commercial potboiler.
The Story
Rajkumarr Rao-Starrer ‘Monica o My Darling’ accounts the story of a murder series where the cat and mouse chase ends up in big revelations. The story revolves around Rajkumarr Rao as Jayant Arkhedkar, a robotics expert, who is in a relationship with Nikki, portrayed by Akanksha Ranjan Kapoor. Jayant is an IT expert and hopes to marry Nikki in order to rule the Unicorn group owned by her father.
On a special occasion of the company, Jayant receives a promotion but his happiness soon fades away with the disclosure of his affair with another woman Monica, Huma Qureshi. Monica is not an ordinary woman as she is a con artist having multiple men under her radar where she stands to blackmail them with intimate images and false pregnancy. The planning of murdering Monica involves multiple killings and the introduction of ACP Naidu, played by Radhika Apte, to the audience.
The Enthralled First-Half
Monica O My Darling focuses on the subtleness of the characters in the first half where the chemistry between Rajkumarr Rao and Huma Qureshi portrays the drama and conflicts of emotions. As one has his heart full of greed, the other wants to take a joyful ride of revenge. The involvement of more side characters and the plot turning into an intriguing one will make you curious to watch the climax. The subtle sexuality of Huma Qureshi and her bold expressions are perfectly captured in the shots where the audience would easily fall as her prey.
The Twisted Second Half
After the interval, the film takes a sharp turn, making the plot messier and a series of blame-game falls into action. However, the director manages to make you understand this puzzling story. As the film progresses towards the end, one would never be able to comprehend the finale until the revelation gets over with. Also disclosing a string of cameos by actors Gulshan Devaiah and Radhika Madan will create a perplexing arrival, riveting the dark mystery of this comedy journey.
Performance of the Cast
Over the years, the Bollywood industry is blessed with various gems and amongst them is Rajkumar Rao who has often amazed the audience with his fine performances. The young thespian proved his mettle dwelling into the character with utmost ease.
Huma Qureshi as ‘Monica Machado’ is a class apart. The boldness she portrayed catches the eye of the viewer. Qureshi's bold dialogue delivery and dominant attitude is a perfect portrayal of the undaunted and fearless character of Monica. And then there is ACP Naidu, OTT’s own daughter Radhika Apte. The actress has played justice to her character by acting witty but a notorious cop. She is also very focused and maintains a sincere record of solving her case.
Direction
The intention of director Vasan Bala to give a good mystery will command your attention and will reinforce you to focus on the big revelations at the end of the film. Starting as a normal mystery comedy, Vasan Bala perfectly converted the plot into a cruel story filled with mapping and mind games.
Overall
Quoted by Radhika Apte, “Always leave the story vague”, creates a deep wrench in the hearts of the audience for finding the answer to this comedy murder mystery. As with the death of each character after a span of time, the answer remains to be a mystery, with a fear of missing out on the end of the storyline. However, the story comes to a circle where all the big reveals and answers are provided. With active one-off jokes throughout the film, the perfume of curiosity will smell across the film.