The trailer clearly conveyed that this is not a run of the mill stuff and therefore might not be for the general audience looking for their usual dose of entertainment. The film truly turns out to be the same, honestly delivering less than the exciting, promising trailer, but still coming up with the ‘unusually enjoyable’ content that deserves to be seen if you are game for such novel, experimental plot and treatment.
In other words, whether you saw its trailer or not, MARD KO DARD NAHI HOTA has to be seen for four of its key merits mentioned below.
ONE - For its nostalgic elements taking you back to the era of VHS tapes and VCRs (especially if you have lived that decade witnessing the euphoria), along with the use of superbly selected old Hindi films songs and dialogues in its various situations.
TWO - For its well-conceived and brilliantly shot actions sequences reminding you of many big names of the past like Bruce Lee, films on Shaolin Temple and more.
THREE - For its superfine cinematography, background score and editing, that beautifully compliments the thought process behind the film and its conception.
And FOUR - For its immensely likable performances led by the small-size bombshell Radhika Madan, Gulshan Devaiah as the twin brothers (with one as the villain), debutant Abhimanyu Dassani as the weird boy (the hero) and Mahesh Manjrekar as the supportive grandfather along with a fine supporting cast.
Having said that, MKDNH is also not a thoroughly enjoyable film having a great flow of a love story of an abnormal boy suffering from a rare medical condition wherein he is completely insensitive towards physical pain but does have emotions for people around. Its very first sequence with the boy narrating his own story forces you to watch it with a different kind of mindset accepting the unfamiliar narrative and then the sudden accident scene hits you hard. But post this fine start, the film takes too much time to find its grip back and later manages to partially regain it post intermission with the entry of Gulshan Devaiah in a double role. Besides, it also might appear to be too absurd and strange to many viewers, not willing or interested in watching such kind of off-beat cinema.
Putting it differently, taking its title from the famous dialogue of Manmohan Desai-Amitabh Bachchan’s MARD, MKDNH has many worth watching sequences which keep impressing at intervals but the film doesn’t make any similar desired impact as a whole.
Frequently shot in slow-motion it fondly reminds you of the era of Kungfu-Karate by using clips from the famous English films, our own GERAFTAAR (1985), a song from AAAJ KA GOONDA RAJ (1992) and many more songs-dialogues from Hindi films playing in the backdrop. It manages to makes a partial connect once you get used to its wicked or weird sense of humour but sadly doesn’t have a continuous rhythm moving into random directions at times missing the bull’s eye.
However, MARD KO DARD NAHI HOTA rightly proves that there are makers in Hindi cinema who can dare to think original and different too who might not be a winner in the present, but are sure capable of delivering something great in the future.
Incidentally I have seen director Vasan Bala’s debut film PEDDLERS (2012) which couldn’t break out of the festival circle and is still unreleased. The film was based upon the now overused format of many stories running together but did have the sparks of a fine director in the making.
Unfortunately Bala’s second film also doesn’t get any wide release and is not powerful enough too to make any kind of dent in the market with only a few shows. So if you are not willing to visit a multiplex, then do make sure you watch this at the online portal soon as it releases there.
In short, MARD KO DARD NAHI HOTA needs to be seen for its action and the execution featuring the terrific Radhika Madan in particular. Just loved her intro action scene and the way she slides over the front of a car wearing the white attire with Kishore Kumar’s Nakhrewaali playing in the backdrop.
Rating : 3 / 5
