Manorama: Six Feet Under

After 'Johnny Gaddaar' here's another amazing thriller. 'Manorama 6 Feet Under' is clearly an inspiration of 'Chinatown'. Note inspiration, not ripoff nor remake. In one scene you even see Chinatown playing on TV. The writing is clever, the visuals are impressive and the performances are very good. Director Navdeep Singh stays with his sub-heading 'In the desert nothing is as it seems'. So in 'Manorama 6 Feet Under' nothing is indeed as it seems. Singh smartly unfolds the mystery and springs a lot of surprises. The film is set in sandy Rajasthan which is portrayed as mysterious, dry, isolated, illusive and frightening. Thus, it's a perfect set-up for the film.

Coming to the performances, Abhay Deol scores again in yet another different role, not just different from what he's done but also from what other actors of today are doing. The actor is certainly here to stay and hope he continues the good work. Gul Panag has a simple role but she does her part very well. Raima Sen shows tremendous versatility. Sarika is stunning in the title role and Kulbushan Kharbanda and Vinay Pathak are very good.

The songs are minimal. But the few that we have are pleasant and adequate for the screenplay.

'Manorama 6 Feet Under' is one exciting puzzle and a treat to watch. It's bizarre. It's dark. It's funny. It's thrilling.

First things First, if I need to describe Path Breaking Cinema, I will use Manorma Six Feet Under as an example. And this film is not a Direct lift of Roman Polanski's famous hit Chinatown, Manorma hold on its own. The first word that comes to my mind while I intend to describe this movie is Efficiency.

There have been few thrillers that so effortlessly thrill you, keep you right on the edge of your seat, get you acquainted with such rich characters yet manage to knock you with killer twists and pull a fast one on you. Endlessly inventive, this is not one of those films that are just that. It explores the psychology of being a wannabe spy like no other film.

Abhay Deol is in a role thats tailor made for him, he's such a natural actor, he brings life to Satyaveer Singh and you feel that Satyaveer is a small town Rajasthani and you never feel that the character actually is played by a Punjabi Jat living in Bombay.

This is Navdeep Singh's first film as a director, and it is apparent he has the heart and soul of a storyteller. He never imposes himself upon the film; he just lets the narration flow effortlessly. He seems to be an actor's director, and the finesse with which he handles them, in close ups, dealing with each other reminds me of Steven Soderbergh.

Gul Panag is one of the Finest Actresses in India today (Lot more talented than a Rani, Priety & Aishwaria). She already proved it with Dor and now in Manorma in a not so significant role, she still proves why she's the most underrated actress in the Hindi Film Industry.

Vinay Pathak, Kulbushan Kharbanda & Sarika are competent too.

Only Raima Sen hams here.

Anyways a 9.7 out of 10 from me for this Masterpiece.

Too bad for most of my friends who had to settle tor Over The top Nonsense movies like Partner, Hey Baby & Welcome while I loved every bit of Manorama.

Manorama Six Feet Under is akin to reading a novel. Viewers who are not fond of reading might judge the pace of the movie to be slow. It takes a while to build the atmosphere, characters gets established, suspense builds up and races ahead to a grand finale.

Screenplay and cinematography is commendable, you can almost feel the heat of the desert and sand on your face. A few places you can see the shades of Tarantino style of movie-making.

MSFU is the story of Satyaveer who stumbles upon a mystery and the (failed!) writer in him itches to seek the truth – redemption or quest?

Abhay Deol apparently is focusing on building his competency in the "new-age cinema" genre (there is too much competition in the mainstream anyway). As Satyaveer he puts on a convincing get-up coupled with a restrained performance.

Gul Panag uses the usual sarcastic house-wife lines to portrays a convincing character.

Vinay Pathak goes to shows that he is good at everything and not just comedy. Minor hitch here: why does he carry a strong accent while her sister doesn't? Convent studies maybe?

Raima Sen character staunchly believes "Men and coffee are good rich" and the tension which prevails between Abhay and Raima over the game of snake and ladders is truly amazing, especially the come-hither passes.

Sarika has a small but effective role. Its goes to show that acting is akin to ride a bicycle.

Khulbhushan Kharbanda is as usual dependable.

The two henchmen have portrayed their parts well (apologies for not knowing their names).

Finally I must add that gone are the days where Bollywood used to paint the perfect world. Its emotionally gratifying to see just like true-to-life, the movie also depicts shades of grey.

Before watching Manorama, i considered Johnny Gaddar as best scripted suspense movie of modern times, but Manorama is far above from Johnny. The best thing is that the storyline looks real and on the level of a common person. It is not like a typical Hindi Cinema (bollywood) suspense movie with the protagonist playing a hero. I gave 9 because i felt detached in middle of the movie but approaching to the end, it captures attention and the climax is well written. I'll curse myself for not watching it for so long even after i heard its praise from my friends. Abhay Deol looks good as a Middle class Rajasthani and so as Gul Panag. Vinay Pathak is exceptional as usual.

Manorama Six Feet Under is an intriguing, complex and offbeat thriller set in a sleepy small town of Rajasthan.

The movie is a promising debut by director Navdeep Singh. People who are used to the escapist Bollywood fare may find the movie too slow or confusing. The fact is that 'Manorama' leaves many threads of the story open-ended. Even as it pays homage to noir genre, the movie stays close to reality. And there is a strong sense of impending doom throughout the film's narrative.

The plot of 'Manorama Six Feet Under' takes a winding path instead of going linear. Beginning on a cogent note, the movie veers onto a somewhat tangled route, as the focus flits from one subplot to another.

Verbally sparse, intelligent, and visually striking, the movie holds your interest despite its languid pace.

And complementing the director's and cinematographer's commendable job are performances by the actors.

Abhay Deol's natural and underplayed portrayal of SV lends a lot of credibility to the character. More than acting, Abhay believes in spontaneous performance. And it comes through on the screen.

Gul Panag stands in equal stead, playing his bickering, nagging wife. Raima Sen , as the other woman in SV's life, is good. Vinay Pathak , playing a cop, doesn't have ample footage but he gets to mouth some well-written lines. Sarika has a very small role. Kulbhushan Kharbanda is impressive.

Inspired from Roman Polanski's movie 'Chinatown', 'Manorama Six Feet Under' is a film for those who like unconventional cinema. At times bizarre, at times fascinating, the movie is arguably the first of its kind in offbeat Hindi cinema.

Recommended for those who like offbeat films.