Mrs. Serial Killer (2020) Review!!

Synopsis – It follows a doting wife, who must find a way to absolve her husband of serial murder charges.

My Take – I think we all can accept that Jacqueline Fernandez is indeed drop dead gorgeous and always manages to light up the screen with her infectious smile and surreal beauty, however, on the acting front, she has never really managed to leave a mark for herself, probably due to the fact that she has mostly chosen to play arm candy roles in male oriented films.

But when the intriguing trailer of her latest Netflix Original arrived (the first being last year’s utterly woeful Drive), it promised an interesting premise, with the actress giving us an assurance that she may have polished her acting skills. With a thespian like Manoj Bajpayee by her side along with rising trouper Mohit Raina, this film seemed like a sure-shot success, however, the reality is starkly different.

While Jacqueline‘s performance here is remarkably better than anything she has put forth before, it unfortunately also happens to be for one of the worst film, probably the whole cast & crew have ever associated themselves with. A factor I wish I was exaggerating, but if anything, it feels like an understatement.

To be honest, this is exactly the kind of film you’d expect from filmmaker Shirish Kunder (Jaan-E-Mann, Joker), who has not only just directed the film, but has also produced with his wife Farah Khan (Om Shanti Om, Happy New Year), written, edited and provided the background score here (which slips it into scenes even when it is not required). Here, in an attempt to blend horror and comedy, the film has turned out be quite kitsch and campy.

Despite the limited numbers of characters in focus, the whole proceedings are just too over-the-top and throughout its run time it felt more of soap opera than a supposed crime thriller. However the biggest spoiler about the film is that it barely expands on the premise contained in the trailer and the official synopsis, which is as threadbare as the town in which the film is set in. Though the final moments of the film are far more watchable than the rest of the film, but Bajpayee’s brilliance alone is hardly enough to overlook the damage caused by the rest of its run time.

The story follows Sona Mukherjee (Jacqueline Fernandez), who finds herself in a life changing situation when her husband, Dr. Mrityunjoy Mukherjee (Manoj Bajpayee), a hotshot gynecological surgeon, finds himself arrested as the main suspect behind a series of killings involving unwed pregnant woman. With strong DNA evidence against him, along with the discovery of dismembered bodies of the missing girls on his half-built farmhouse, Mrityunjoy’s case seems to be a done deal.

However, Sona is not convinced, as she believes the investigating officer, Imran Shahid (Mohit Raina), who also happens to be her ex, is framing her husband for the gruesome crimes, just to get back at her. With no lawyer of the city willing to represent him, she turns to Brij Rastogi (Darshan Jariwala), an old lawyer pal of the doctor, who while recuperating after a cardiac arrest, cunningly suggests that the only way to turn the tables is to prove that that the serial killer is still on the prowl and that Mrityunjoy is a victim of a miscarriage of justice. And has faith has it, Sona’s neighbor and student, Anushka (Zain Marie Khan), who conveniently has a bun in the oven, seems like a solid candidate for this act of deception.

Unfortunately, no matter what the not so amazing Sona tries, including ensnaring the unmarried pregnant girl, Anushka, who also has a Taekwondo black belt, the lack of original ideas stalks the film until the aforementioned point of the film until Bajpayee makes a stirring return in the final minutes and turns the tables on everybody.

In the film’s opening scene, which is actually borrowed from a juncture in the tale much further down the line, we see the heroine muttering to herself in a frenzied state: “This story is about to end. Though not the way we imagined it. But we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do!” Might have been a great idea had the story actually ended there. In a smarter film, that would read as a kind of fourth wall-breaking humor from a self-aware writer. But that’s giving too much credit to Kunder and the team.

The red herrings that the film throws our way do not serve any real purpose and the needle of suspicion is pointed so glaringly in one direction that what the film comes up with in the end is not even much a guessing game.

The Netflix film would have been a good starting point for a franchise itself, only if it wasn’t being so serious.

It’s a comedy when it doesn’t mean to be, and it’s entirely unfunny when it attempts any kind of humor. Additionally, as a director Kunder is completely oblivious of the word “nuance” itself. Every dialogue, every note, every expression, and every step of a narrative thread is overplayed. Every scene bursts with hot colors and neon shades, but you can’t extract atmospherics from lighting props. As all the work that is done to enhance the quality of the compositions, the lighting and the ambience is in the end wasted on a film that has very little to offer by way of mystery and tension.

Even when the interesting parts come along, they aren’t really as action-packed to make up for the annoying bits. Moreover, there are some very odd directional and stylistic choices which, honestly, did nothing for the scene or the film. Plus what is with the maternity home that is run by the couple so conveniently empty. The element of dread, which is the basic requirement for even a C-grade serial killer story to work, just never enters the frame.

Another way in which director Kunder tries to enliven the already flat-lined material is to instruct Jacqueline Fernandez to emote furiously and ham her way into being a first-time criminal with some extremely silly physical comedy. With the whole film resting on her shoulders, Jacqueline makes a comparatively better attempt here, however she stills needs to work on her emotions. Manoj Bajpayee, the sole reason for watching this Netflix thriller, is granted a little over 30 minutes to put on a full-on performance and he goes all out! Mohit Raina as the lovelorn, revenge-seeking cop is commendable as well.

Debutante Zayn Marie Khan, Aamir Khan‘s niece, displays enough confidence to make her likable, despite the fact that, barring a couple of hilariously shot action sequences, she is only required to lie prostrate on a stretcher. I am not even sure why Darshan Jariwala signed up for this one. On the whole, ‘Mrs. Serial Killer’ is easily one of the worst films ever made owing to its convoluted and laughable filmmaking.