MUKHBIIR (2008) Hindi Movie Review By Kalcha

Audience Rating For MUKHBIIR

(1 votes, average: 8 out of 10)
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MUKHBIIR is one of those movies that limps through the filming stage and when the final product is finished and ready to release, no buyer comes forward to buy. And when it finally gets released somehow, it Super Flops. I know it just released… but it will flop for sure. So, why was no one buying? Why would it flop? The reasons are plenty… Bollywood Junta who are ready to laugh their teeth out over PISHAP jokes (Sigh Is Kinng) or drool over Emraan Hashmi’s N number of kisses isn’t much interested in hard hitting stories like MUMBAI MERI JAAN or MUKHBIIR. So, the reason I watched this movie is because it is titled as intriguing as Mukhbiir… for god’s sake. Okay, I am making my point a bit forcefully… but that is indeed the truth. After what I have said, you must be thinking that I would rate it high. But sadly, that is not going to happen. Why? Read On…

In essence, Mukhbiir is the story of a young lad caught up in the messy affairs of Government’s Intelligence Department to become their Informing Agent (Mukhbiir). Mukhbiir can be safely declared as a Poor Cousin of MARTIN SCORSESE’s master piece THE DEPARTED which in turn is adapted from the Chinese master piece INFERNAL AFFAIRS. Mind you… it is NOT A COPY by any means. More recently, Ram Gopal Varma’s CONTRACT too is a similar subject only released a bit earlier and was pathetic. But in the end, I can definitely say that Mani Shankar’s Mukhbiir is a well Intentioned and Conceptualised Story.

FOR STORY:

Screenplay, also written by Mani Shankar, is on an altogether different terrain from the story. It is so patchy that the hard hitting story reduces in to just an unbaked idli. If this were to be the next big software product, then it would have easily failed for being so buggy. Mukhbiir’s great story is marred by an Inconsistent, Incoherent, Disjointed and Too Linear Narration.

The poorly written Screenplay is much more let down by poor Editing. Some of my problems…

• How can the editor saab skip to cut the whole RAIMA SEN episode? She was just a forced Stick On… to entice the romantic side of the Protagonist. Compare this to SATYA or SARFAROSH in which the Love subject is as integral to the movie as the Primary subject itself.
• There are many more scenes which could have done with proper editing when not written well. Like the scene in the climax where Mukhbiir, all ready to die, suddenly stands up to dance and sing as soon as he realises that his message has been delivered by his boy-courier.
• While on the subject of boy-courier, which Mukhbiir told Mani Shankar that a he/she uses a loud SEETI SIGNAL? Were the terrorists DEAF?
• Why did Sunil Shetty go alone to the spot of meeting of Pasha (local badmash) and Saya (international terrorist)? Was he intending to become a Superman?
• And why the hell did Mani Shankar chose to keep the Mukhbiir alive when a tragic ending could have enliven the movie up a bit.
• I did not feel the necessity of any songs. And if they were inevitable to keep commercial aspirations alive, then the Music composers Karthik Raja and Sasi Pritam let Mani Shankar down. Especially the Background score was very poor.
• Cinematography had a tremendous potential in this movie. In fact that is where Ram Gopal Varma excels… But alas, AJAY VINCENT could not do any wonders.
• DIRECTION is the most required skill in this genre where the Script could be made from Half-Baked to a sumptuous meal. But Mani Shankar let us down big time. He never had any clue where the movie is headed. And in a rush, he ends the trauma of unmasking Mukhbiir in the end.
  FOR DIRECTION:

FOR SCREENPLAY, EDITING & OTHER TECHNICAL DEPARTMENTS:

• SAMEER DATTANI, as of now, doesn’t impress at all. He might have a potential for some Bollywood Romantic escapades, but hardcore Cinema is not yet braced up for his lack of histrionics. Even comparing his performance to Leonardo Di Caprio’s performance in The Departed is a cardinal sin.
  FOR PROTAGONIST:
• OM PURI does his part at his usual best.
• RAHUL DEV and ALOK NATH along with other minor part actors are impressive.
  FOR GENERALLY GOOD PERFORMANCES:
• SUSHANT SINGH is the most impressive actor in the whole movie. Although his part could have been written much better, he performs with a lot of gusto.
  FOR ANTAGONIST:

MUKHBIIR could have been easily made in to the best movie of this year… but ended up being one of the most forgettable movies of this year for the story gone wasted…