Murder 2 - Tere Tukde Karoo Char-Gripping. Review on Murder 2

The movie is amazingly bold and catches you unawares by its sheer audacity and explicitness. Never before on Hindi screen has the psyche and details of a psychopath been shown in so much depth. Prashant Narayanan as the psycho killer is such a radiant performer, he makes the sky of Murder 2 shine in full glory.

The setting is the idyllic and lustful Goa. The soul in torment is Emraan as an ex-cop who left his service to get into a variety of colorful trades like drugs, crime etc . He does not believe in God but aka Robinhood donates his earnings to the Church. And when the fancy or rather the biological urge strikes him, he gets into passionate embraces with Jacqueline Fernandes (a model) who is in love with him but when asks Emraan if she is his "mohabbat" or "zaroorat" gets an unsatisfactory "aadat" in reply from her lover boy.

The eroticism in the first 15 minutes fails to scintillate after a while and gets monotonous and you wish the movie would get on with the crime track thats really powerful and strong. A serial murderer is on the loose and there are lissome girls of Goa who are dissapearing one after another. They are mostly call girls who went for an assignment but never returned. The worried Pimp Senior entrusts Emraan to be the sniffer dog who can solve the mystery.

The narrative then takes a dramatic and enthralling twist as the audience is led on an almost autobiographical journey of one the victims, a charming and innocent 17 yr old college girl who gets into this web of the psychopath and has a harrowing time thereafter. Its a chilling scene that unfolds as she explores the labyrinth of Prashant. The rooms are filled with a strange red and black light and its eerie inside the bungalow. There are strange statues and evil shadows all around. This is the den where the insane man ties up the female victims and then sadistically singing"tere tukde karoo char" hacks them into small pieces and throws the remains in an old well.

The girl after a brave journey manages to escape but soon meets her nemesis when the psychopath after committing a few more murders finds her again. Its a tale poignantly told as the hapless girl is killed in gory splendor while the police van is parked right outside the venue and Emraan is on a mad chase to find the murderer. The tale comes to a nail biting climax when his own girl is also trapped and the final showdown occurs between the eunuch Prashant and Emraan.

In between all this thrill and action, the story of the murderer unfolds in parts. What prompted him to become a eunuch and why he goes on the killing rampage are divulged in well crafted scenes and some smart and crisp dialogues. The confrontation scene b/w Prashant and the psychotherapist Shweta Kwatra is short but very impactful. Infact extremely strong performances are the forte of this film that take the entire standard of the film a notch above the routine.

Emraan is deadpan in the beginning but he soon gets into the juice of the character and becomes a driven bloodhound. He is very good.Jacqueline sadly does not have a large part, being limited to massive skin show in the first few reels and she manages to look alluring in her part. She simply does not have the molten sensuality of Mallika and shares a rather dry chemistry with Emraan. Thankfully their mutual scnes are limited and are more physical rather than affectionate so she manages to pass by.

The other actress Sulagna Panigraphi who plays the hapless victim has a meaty role and enacts it well. The supporting cast all play their part with conviction and the brooding intensity that the setting and graph of such a film requires.

But the award winning performance is definitely Prashant Narayanan. Not for an instant can you take your eyes off him as he changes his garb from Man trousers to lehanga choli and his facial expressions from a crafty sadist to an amnesia ridden hurt man. He is a chameleon, and its impossible to outwit him. He is SUPERB.

The music is appropriate and the photography and editing are well done. The set design must receive a special mention for its artistry and beautiful lighting effects. A theatrical touch was required and the mood build up is perfect.

Best is the eerie background music that lends an authentic flavor to this thriller cum semi horror film(the gory scenes are a bit on track towards horror) given by RajuSingh(Aahat etc) and its splendid.

All in all the movie is very well directed and put together by Mohit Suri. Mahesh Bhatt does a bold piece of work. Never has the psychopath been shown in such bare light. The murders may be horrific but its a new piece of cinema, enexplored till now and that's why the movie deserves to be seen and lauded.

The music is a big letdown with no hummable tunes during the film.The coupla good ones dont feature in the film. The editing could have been tighter.

But A splendid thriller nevertheless.