Netflix India has scored well with some of its recent releases. Guilty and Hasmukh showed that the platform could go toe to toe with Amazon Prime Video, which has recently overshadowed the former in terms of quality content. Written and directed by Shirish Kunder, Mrs. Serial Killer Netflix’s latest Indian original film. How well did it fare?
Story
Mrutunjoy Mukherjee aka Joy (Manoj Bajpayee) is a renowned surgeon and doting husband to Sona Mukherjee (Jacqueline Fernandez). Joy is implicated in the murder of six unmarried pregnant women whose foetuses are kept as prizes, landing the surgeon in jail.
Sona is left distraught at the arrest of her husband. She notices that the murders began after her ex-boyfriend inspector Imran Shahid (Mohit Raina) transferred to her city, convincing her that he framed Joy. Sona then sets out to murder exactly like the serial killer to prove Joy’s innocence.
With such a strong premise, you’d expect a thrilling narrative keeping you at the edge of your seats. Instead, we get the most basic film you could imagine.
Performances
Fernandez desperately struggles with the heavy lifting. Her dialect restricts her from playing most roles convincingly and Sona is no exception. It’s hard to take her seriously as someone who seeks murder.
There’s no denying what a fabulous actor Bajpayee is. But even he struggles and cannot save this sinking ship. Mrs. Serial Killer is proof that every actor is bound by the script and direction, and no amount of talent compensates for a bad film.
Raina, another decent actor, is completely wasted. What’s the point of getting such talents when you’re not going to utilise their potential.
Positives
One of the very few positives in Mrs. Serial Killer is its strong premise. Also, the first 10-20 minutes make you feel like it’ll turn out average, but it quickly spirals down, leaving you astounded at the absolutely bizarre turn of events.
Negatives
Where do I start? There’s a scene in Mrs. Serial Killer where Sona is on the phone but you can clearly see the dial pad. How did everyone in the team miss that? The music is peculiar and not in sync with the scenes.
In another scene, Sona, carrying a child herself, fights a pregnant student in strange ways. They’re jumping about and kicking each other like Jackie Chan in poorly edited fight sequences. The effects are so bad you’ll wonder if it was really made in today’s age.
The set is also underwhelming. The budget might be lower than theatrical films, but there’s a way of making the most of what you have, which the film clearly doesn’t.
At various points in Mrs. Serial Killer, you’ll feel baffled at what’s happening. This is filmmaking at its absolute minimum. Netflix needs so much better.
Worth it?
Definitely not. There’s so much content on platforms that’s worth your time. Such a pity that an interesting premise was executed like this. As Mohit Raina says in one scene, “What a f****ing joke.”
Also Read: Hasmukh review: A dark comedy ‘to die for’