Dulquer Salmaan Makes This Paper Flower Bloom With His Five-Star Act

Story

When
a
famous
film
critic
is
discovered
dead
in
the
loo
of
his
house
by
his
wife,
little
does
the
investigating
officer
Arvind
Mathur
(Sunny
Deol)
know
that
this
is
just
the
beginning
of
a
nightmare
for
film
reviewers
across
the
city.

The
second
victim
is
‘brought
on
track’
in
a
gruesome
way
while
the
third
one
is
hacked
to
death
in
an
‘artistic
way.’
Another
reviewer
has
his
body
parts
flung
in
different
areas
of
a
cricket
ground.
Soon,
a
series
of
clues
lead
Arvind
to
a
conclusion
that
the
serial
killer
on
the
loose
is
a
‘critics
ka
critics’.

In
short,
he
hunts
down
film
critics
and
slices
them
open
for
their
dishonest
reviews.
The
killer
leaves
behind
his
signature
in
the
form
of
star
ratings
on
the
victim’s
forehead.

On
the
other
hand,
there’s
a
parallel
track
featuring
a
recluse
florist
Danny
(Dulquer
Salmaan).
When
not
storing
tulips
in
the
fridge,
he
is
busy
enjoying
his
two
glasses
of
tea
and
‘anda
burji’
at
a
modest
restaurant.

Amid
the
sea
of
daisies,
tulips
and
other
flora
in
his
shop,
when
Danny’s
eyes
fall
on
an
entertainment
journalist
Nila
(Shreya
Dhanwanthary),
it’s
love
at
first
sight
for
him.
To
the
tunes
of

Pyaasa‘s
‘Jaane
kya
tune
kahi’,
the
two
hearts
soon
find
solace
in
each
other
while
the
serial
killer
unleashes
mayhem
with
his
twisted
mind.

Direction

There’s
a
scene
in

Chup:
Revenge
Of
The
Artist
where
Pooja
Bhatt’s
character
Zenobia
exclaims,
“You
critics
are
killers.” At
a
time
when
it’s
often
argued
whether
film
reviews
affect
the
box
office
collections,
director-writer
R
Balki
emphasises
on
the
importance
of
sensitivity
in
expressing
one’s
thoughts
and
opinions
while
judging
somebody’s
piece
of
work.
And
what
better
than
paying
a
ode
to
legendary
filmmaker
Guru
Dutt
whose
last
directorial
was

Kaagaz
Ke
Phool,
a
misunderstood
classic
which
eventually
earned
a
cult
status!

Through
his
latest
outing,
R
Balki
throws
light
on
how
wrong
criticism
can
really
hurt
people
badly.
With
his
co-writers
Raja
Sen
and
Rishi
Virmani,
the
filmmaker
depicts
the
critique
culture
which
sometimes
outweigh
the
love
for
good
cinema.
Some
of
the
witty
dialogues
land
bang
on.
Sample
this-

“India
mein
Scorsese
nahin,
Shetty
chalta
hain.”

Speaking
about
the
misses,
the
writing
drags
a
bit
and
gets
verbose
at
places
post
interval.
Also,
the
backstory
of
the
wrongdoer
barely
gives
you
enough
time
to
connect
with
his
pain,
angst
and
heartbreak.
Though
Balki
compensates
that
with
effective
visuals,
a
little
more
space
for
that
portion
in
the
narrative
would
have
created
a
greater
impact.

Performances

If
Dulquer
Salmaan’s
charming
Lieutenant
Ram
swept
you
off
your
feet
in
this
year’s
earlier
release

Sita
Ramam,
brace
yourself
because
there’s
a
shocker
coming
your
way
but
hey,
it’s
a
good
one!
With
his
tousled
hair,
enigmatic
eyes
and
‘ah
that
smile’,
the
actor
aces
the
required
‘vibe’ to
deliver
one
of
his
most
nuanced
performances
in
recent
times.
Now,
here’s
a
big
‘chup’
from
Dulquer
to
those
who
believe
that
he’s
only
a
rom/rom-com
guy!

Shreya
Dhanwanthary
enters
the
frame
like
a
breeze
and
lightens
up
things
to
bring
a
smile
on
your
face.
If
Dulquer’s
Danny
is
a
nervous
bundle
of
energy,
Shreya’s
Nila
is
the
calm
to
his
storm.
Sunny
Deol
returns
back
to
the
marquee
with
a
banger
and
he’s
still
got
that
swag!
The
actor
sails
smoothly
past
the
film
until
Balki
throws
in
a
melodramatic
short
outburst
which
is
followed
by
a
poorly-executed
action
sequence.

Pooja
Bhatt
sinks
her
teeth
deep
in
whatever
is
offered
to
her
and
manages
to
catch
your
eye
in
those
moments.
Saranya
Ponvannan
makes
an
impressive
Bollywood
debut
as
Nila’s
mother.
The
amount
of
flamboyance
and
cuteness
that
she
squeezes
into
every
frame
is
simply
winsome.

Balki’s
favourite,
megastar
Amitabh
Bachchan
also
steps
in
for
an
itsy-bitsy,
relevant
cameo.

Technical
Aspects

Vishal
Sinha
lends
ample
of
support
to
R
Balki
with
his
visuals
to
build
the
tense
tone
of
the
film;
be
it
the
cloudy
skies,
the
murky
weather,
the
cool
rains
or
the
bright
red
flow
of
blood
from
the
killings.
Since
the
film
is
a
love
letter
to
Guru
Dutt,
Sinha
also
uses
a
lot
of
close-up
shots,
lighting
and
metaphors
of
melancholia.

There
are
a
few
stray
moments
in
the
first
half
where
the
scene
transitions
are
a
bit
abrupt.
Nayan
H.
K.
Bhadra’s
editing
could
have
been
a
little
more
taut.

Music

Rupali
Moghe’s
mellifluous
voice
coupled
with
Shashwant
Singh’s
strong
vocals
make
‘Gaya
Gaya’
a
soothing
listen
for
the
ears.
Further,
the
way
R
Balki
weaves
in
some
of
Guru
Dutt’s
classic
songs
like
‘Yeh
Duniya
Agar’,
‘Waqt
Ne
Kiya
Kya
Haseen
Sitam’
and
‘Jaane
Kya
Tune
Kahi’
in
his
narrative
to
give
it
a
different
context
is
simply
outstanding.

Verdict

“Yeh
log
thoda
ratings
de
dete
toh
kya
jaata.
Aasman
mein
taare
thodi
kam
ho
jaate,”
a
cop
complains
to
his
colleague
when
they
are
stationed
under
the
building
of
the
serial
killer’s
potential
target.
Fortunately,
R
Balki’s
latest
film
earns
enough
stars
on
its
own
merit.