On the edge

The lack of engaging whodunits in Hindi films is something to ponder about.

Last week I kicked up an argument with friends trying to explain why I liked the gory Murder 2. I attempted to put things into perspective because I genuinely found the film captivating. It was not a masterpiece,but tremendously gripping,about this almost insane,but an undeniably cool killer. What had me squirming in my seat though was the fact that the gory murders by the serial killer were based on real life.

I am always game for murder mysteries,but generally the standard Bollywood elements like romance and songs take away from the film. But Murder 2 scored on quite a few fundamental levels as a thriller. There was no suspense as the identity of the killer is known right in the beginning,but the cat-and-mouse game between the no-nonsense,ice-cold hero and the killer keep you on edge. What stood out about the film was that perhaps for the first time the narrative surrendered to one central performance rendered by a non- star,Prashant Narayanan.

If you go to see,very few whodunits have been made,and even fewer that qualify as classics. One of the earliest,which stands out in my mind,is the 60s Bees Saal Baad,a classic whodunit set in an eerie jungle into which Waheeda Rehman bravely steps,at unearthly hours. One could almost hear the audiences heartbeats in the eerie silence of the theatre. The film was simple,made in black-and-white,but there was enough colour in the story to keep you mesmerised.

I also remember watching Ashok Kumar and Rajendra Kumar locking horns as a judge and lawyer in Kanoon on television and was glued to my chair as BR Chopras songless thriller unfolded. In fact,BR Chopra could be called a master of mysteries,because Dhund,his chilling mystery about a woman Zeenat Aman and her sadistic husband played brilliantly by Danny Denzongpa,and the Rajesh Khanna-Nanda starrer, Ittefaq,about a mental patient and a murder,could be termed as some of the few flawless thrillers.

Hrishikesh Mukherjee is remembered for his iconic comedies and his only brush with thrillers was Buddha Mil Gaya. But it was a riveting murder mystery about two out-of-work photographers,Navin Nischol and Deven Verma getting embroiled in a series of murders.

There were others like Gumnaam,Jewel Thief,Shikar,Teesri Manzil,Hamraaz,Shaque,Benaam,Teesra Kaun?,Anamika,Gupt,the Sushmita Sen-Jackie Shroff starrer Samay,etc. But considering that our industry churns out almost 150 films a year,the number of impressive movies made in this genre are almost negligible.

Wonder why,because if you go by the record,all the classics of the genre have a simple tale,leading up to an unpredictable climax,or it has been a tense cat-and-mouse game with a tight script,stellar moments,perfect synchronicity with no sluggishness in pace and a haunting musical score. Nothing impossible to achieve and I sincerely hope Murder 2s huge success will lure more filmmakers to make these engaging flicks.

geety.sahgalexpressindia.com