Netflix has just released the Indian production “Mrs. Serial Killer”. The film directed by Shirish Kunder is a mixture between horror thriller and horror satire.
Sona (Jacqueline Feranndez) is married to a successful gynecologist. They live in a big house and are expecting a child. When her husband Mrityunjoy (Manoj Bajpayee), in short Joy, comes home after a business trip, he is directly arrested at the airport. The policemen are sure that they finally have caught the serial killer who brutally murders and buries young women. Joy claimes his innocence and Sona believes him. She wants to do everything she can to exonerate him. To do so, she seeks advice from the criminal lawyer Mr. Rastogi (Darshan Jariwala), who, then, suggests a radical solution.
The evidence seems to be clear; DNA-samples, the location and murder techniques speak for Joy as the perpetrator. However, both the lawyer and Sona suspect that the investigator in the case, Imran Shahid (Mohit Raina), has manipulated the evidences. Sona believes that the policeman wants to take revenge on her for not marrying him years ago and choosing the doctor instead who is socially superior to him. Joy's innocence could be proved if another girl would disappear in the meantime. That sounds quite simple, but should one wait for the real killer to take the first step – or does one have to help oneself?
Fast and dense Shirish Kunder directs a thriller that unfortunately can't keep up the tension throughout the film. Nevertheless, many original ideas and the insight into an exotic social environment make the movie worth watching. It's not really certain if it is meant to be a satire after all, because at several points the acting and the dialogue seem quite naive.
The movie is entertaining and thrilling, but for a multi-layered dramaturgy the staging is too fast, too simplified. The conclusions of the characters come too sudden, the lines of thought are too simple. The lawyer, for example, suggests to Sona that she should carry out a murder, one that would imitate those of which her husband is accused of. This may be illegal, but it is the only solution, he says. Her shock and resistance are of very short duration.
Some other things are implausible too in terms of plot and the reactions of the protagonists. Apparently the director, who wrote the book for the film and also did the editing, was more concerned with evoking a certain mood. He succeeds in this, thanks also to the precise and consistent camera work of Ravi K. Chandran and Kiran Deohans.
He puts a lot of emphasis on the set. Clothes, props and especially the interiors are carefully designed, they are the strength of the film. Looking at the director's other, earlier films, a preference for opulent costumes and comedic material can be seen. Just like one of his main characters towards the end of the film wants it, the movie wants to be a mixture of genres. Tragedy, thriller, action and comedy, all belong together for a good story.
The women play a strong role. Jacqueline Fernandez as Sona comes from Sri Lanka and also works as a model. She moves elegantly through the film, you believe the desperation and hope she is supposed to convey. She puts up a dynamic fight with the young Zayn Marie as Anushka. Zayn Marie floats through the air as a professional Taekwondo fighter and throws her opponent against the wall with a skillful kick. This is where the movie uses the only piece of special effects, because otherwise it is kept in a mostly realistic style. Of the male actors, Manoj Bajpayee as Joy goes through the biggest development. He changes from an innocent, slick doctor into a psychotic monster. Since the character drawing is overall flat, the actors can't bring out more of their roles either.
“Mrs. Serial Killer” is an amusing movie, but it lacks consistency and depth.
