Manorama: Six Feet Under

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.

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.

This movie is as real as it gets on the screen. The movie makers have done a great job to maintain the real feel and not dramatize anything. Every scene, every place, every character feels so real. For example, SV's bandage on his fingers is dirty and beat up just like the rest of his disheveled look. The table in Dr. Poddar's office has a transparent plastic cover over the table cloth just as you would find in many Indian households.

The story is excellent too. Keeps you captured till the last scene. It is also funny at times. My only complaint with the movie is that I didn't like Raima Sen as the choice to play Sheetal's character. She has a heavy Bengali accent not suitable for her character. Also Nimmi(Gul Panag) delivers her "Hinglish" dialogues with an upper class English accent.

Overall this is an excellent movie to watch.

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.

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.