Ek Villain Review

Mohit Suri has got to be one of the most under-hyped directors working in Bollywood. He has been constantly delivering one hit after another and has still managed to somehow escape under the radar of the media. After directing the runaway hit Aashiqui 2, he is back this friday with his Aashiqui 2 lead actress Sharaddha Kapoor in a romantic action thriller that is sure to set the screens ablaze. The marketing has been on the spot, and the trailers have captured the imagination of the public. The soundtrack has also become a huge hit. All this has ensured huge hype for the film. So does Ek Villain live up to the hype? Let’s dissect.

Story: Guru (Siddharth Malhotra) is a brooding gangster with a shimmering rage inside him because of a gruesome past. He works for a ganglord in Goa played by Remo Fernandez. His life changes when he meets Aisha (Shraddha Kapoor) and he transforms from a brooding gangster to a family man of sorts. They relocate to Mumbai to settle down as a family. That is when tragedy strikes. Aisha is unceremoniously killed by a serial murderer called Rakesh (Ritesh Deshmukh). Guru devotes his life to finding out this murderer. The story is told in reverse as the director chooses to show the murder first and then shows the events leading up to it. There’s a lot of to and fro but it doesn’t impede the story. Is Guru able to find Rakesh? And what does he do with Rakesh if and when he catches him?

Screenplay and Direction: It will be stupid for anyone to not claim that Ek Villain has not been inspired by the 2010 Korean Blockbuster “I Saw The Devil”. Truth be told, Ek Villain is a very smart re-imagination and adaptation of that film. However, Mohit Suri deserves a lot of credit for understanding the basic nuances of the Indian audience and tailoring his adaptation suited to their tastes. The screenplay, even with the non-linear narration, never gets too confusing and keeps the viewers sufficiently engaged. There’s always something important taking place on the screen which is important to the story of the film. However, Ek Villain would have been considered a more accomplished work if it were not for the unofficial remake tag attached to it.

Ek Villain
Ek Villain Movie Review

Miscellaneous and Music: The technical aspects of Ek Villain are as good as it gets. The cinematography is equal parts dreamy and equal parts realistic and the cinematographer does well to linger on the faces of Ritesh and Siddharth to heighten the impact of their characters. The production design is very good too. But the basic curiosity around the film has been because of its action and its music. The action in Ek Villain is perfect because they are not overdone. The music of Ek Villain is the strongest selling point, in line with Suri’s previous films. Most of the tracks are big hits and songs like Galliyaan, Zaroorat, Awari and Hamdard stay with the viewers even after the closing credits have rolled.

Acting: Siddharth Malhotra proves with Ek Villain that he will be a force to reckon with in the future. He is perfectly cast as Guru, the gangster and henchman. His brooding expressions, his muscular physique and his gazing pauses brining the character of Guru to life. Ritesh Deshmukh reinvents himself as the serial murderer Rakesh who has to constantly deal with a nagging wife (Aamna Sharif). Ritesh’s eyes convey the state of Rakesh’s mind beautifully. After Ek Villain everyone will look at Ritesh differently. He almost manages to steal the film away. Shraddha Kapoor plays a very stereotypical girl in the form of Aisha and has improved since Aashiqui 2. Aamna Sharif is nice in her part. Kamaal R Khan makes a small appearance and plays a misogynist bastard. Kudos to Mohit for the casting.

Conclusion: Even though Ek Villain has borrowed generously from the Korean film “I Saw The Devil” it still makes for a very entertaining Hindi film which boasts of everything that can cater to the audience and also makes for a pleasurable viewing experience. It is intense, dramatic but it gives an optimistic outlook that is missing from films of this genre. If you have not been to the theatre in a long time, go watch Ek Villain and give it a chance. The chances of disappointment are very less.

Box office: Ek Villain is likely to take a big opening thanks to the hype created by the music and the trailers. Judging by the merit of the film, Ek Villain can well and truly go on to be a Blockbuster.

Positives:

  • Engaging storyline which keeps the viewers hooked throughout the film
  • Ritesh Deshmukh and Siddharth Malhotra shine in their roles
  • The music of Ek Villain hits it out of the park
  • The production design and cinematography work in sync to make Ek Villain look grand
  • The dialogues are good

Negatives:

  • Ek Villain is an unauthorized remake of the Korean film “I Saw The Devil” which makes it difficult for the makers to take a lot of credit for the film

Rating: ★★★½☆

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63 Comments

  • # reasons I going this Sunday to the theaters…

    1 Movie is shot in Goa my home place…it will be a treat to watch Goa on big screen … ull all agree with that..
    2 Director..
    3 Shradha she is cute…
    4 Ritesh… want to know the shade of his character…traler se kuch b idea nahi mila

  • watched ek villain. it is mish mash of mohit suri’s previous work. ek villain = murder2 + awarapan. it is easy to say that awarapan will remain the best work of mohit suri. and ek villain can be said as milder murder2. i will give 3 stars to ek villain due to ritesh. ritesh is stow stealer . and sidharth malhotra still cant act. he is miscast. thanx to media and kjo , sid is getting films

  • Just read the Wikipedia post of I SAW THE DEVIL.

    Its poured with posetive reviews.

    Lets see how this one faers.

  • Holiday Is Biggest Grosser Of 2014 -BoxofficeIndia………….Congrats Akshay sir and Sonakshi Sinha

    Holiday – A Soldier Is Never Off Duty grossed 10 crore nett approx in its third week making it the highest grossing film of the year till date. The film has now grossed 109 crore nett going past the 108 crore nett of Jai Ho.

    The film may the end the first half of the year as the highest grossing film if Ek Villian remains lower and going to that level is a huge ask for Ek Villian.

    The third week did see a drop in business of 65% as compared to the 55% drop in week two but that was mainly due the release of Humshakals. The film is likely to do an all India distributor share of around 57 crore with Mumbai topping at 20 crore plus.

  • I think 99% people who will watch ek villain must not have watched I saw the Devil,its a korean film..who will watch it here with subtitles…so unoriginality could have been neglected.

  • let’s see how many people will bark now because now we all know its a rip off of that korean film but the hypocritic khans fans will keep their mouths shut now, if sidharth would have been a big star and a competition to khans, then they would have barked as usual.

  • @r20 Dont be so hasty kid- Mohit took inspiration from a Korean film- thats original n frankly speaking hes more intelligent than your akki- atleast Suri watched a Korean film (maybe sound down but who knows) and read the subtitles to grasp the story which is more than can be said for your flopstar Akki who doesnt even watch south remakes just buys any films rights based upon its BO verdict down south n foolishly thinks it can achieve the same in Bollywood. Credit where its sue- well done Mohit- nice review Indicine.

  • Guys.. Its a request. Those who have watched the movie, can you please NOT reveal the twists in the film. Many people would be watching this one!!!

  • If I Saw The Devil was not made then this movie would have been impossible.
    @babaji Korean filmmakers put a lot of brain to realise the story and then somebody steals their story and makes a film. Its wrong.
    Imagine if OMG or Sp26 is remade by Hollywood with giving credit to Akki’s film… and it wins 4-5 Oscars then how angry you Akkians would have been.. All attention would be on the Hollywood film and noone would have given a crap about Akkis original films..

  • Ek Villain short Review:::

    With all the hype and expectations, I walked into Gopalan Cinemas at Bangalore for the 1:05 PM show…was thrilled to see that the hall was packed…
    movie starts off brilliantly, and in the first 20 mins you are sure as to WHO is the villain and WHY he is so..the movie moves back n forth with the love story…and the HERO trying to track down the villain….
    The love story, though not convincing, brings a smile to your face…music scores big time.
    The HERO tracks down the VILLAIN very easily, which is quite disappointing…and the interval point is good.
    You look forward for the second half to take the movie higher…but alas…the second half disappoints big time…
    It just meanders with unconvincing twists and turns to reach the climax…

    Ultimately its the performances of Ritesh and Siddharth and the music that holds the movie together

    2.5/5

  • Whatever….just watched and it’s a really good movie full entertainment acting wise Sidharth and Ritesh rocks..in my personal view Ek Villian is slightly better then Ashiqi 2. The movie has a repeat value.

  • I saw the film yesterday.. it’s a romantic thriller, Sidarth Malhotra did a good job.. I didn’t expect to see him in this role, the songs are so nice, slow, romantic, Gallyaan and Banjaare.. I loved these 2, the film wasn’t bad, a pastime, but it was similar to Murder 2, similar story but in a new form.

  • The movie is a big letdown. There’s nothing more in the movie that you don’t see in the promo. Siddharth, is in the arjun rampal mould. Cant emote. He can be an also ran, never can he be a superstar. Ritesh is fab! He’s a very underrated actor. Music is exceptional though. Overall, very poor screenplay and a very tame ending. Will end with lifetime 50 crores.

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