Ek Villain Returns Review
⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Cast: Arjun Kapoor, Disha Patani, John Abraham, Tara Sutaria
Director: Mohit Suri
Review: Ek Villain Returns is the smiley face-filled sequel to the Blockbuster film Ek Villain. If you did not get the smiley reference, you should probably check out the first film in the franchise—or not if you value your sanity even a little.
I went into the hall for Ek Villain Returns highly sceptical, and willing to wholly suspend disbelief. My decision to do so paid off greatly as I denied myself my usual urge to protest exasperatedly when the hero, or villain, or whatever humiliated and terrified a famous singer to clear the stage (literally) for an up-and-coming artist who he happened to fancy. I also bought it when, impressed by this charming gesture the girl ended up falling head over heels in love with the man.
This is Director Mohit Suri’s world, here love always coexists with pain and desperation. Characters are willing to take the saying “all is fair in love and war” to inventively toxic levels and women exist either as master manipulators or pretty faces with low IQs. All of these ring true for Ek Villain Returns as well.
While the film is only a spiritual sequel to Ek Villain, some themes from the previous film recur here as well. Apart from the presence of hooded figures wearing masks in the shape of smiley faces and men that defy gravity, both films paint women as evil and advantageous. It is almost as if the film wants us to believe that these women deserve to die— something a certain someone nicknamed smiley killer by the police (don’t get me started) takes care of.
Despite all of its shortcomings, however, there is quite a lot of fun to be had in the film. It delivers partly as unintentional comedy and partly as a surprisingly engaging film. With twist after twist and an admittedly interesting plot, the film manages to keep the suspense element intact until the very end.
While the overdramatic dialogue baazi and random, absolutely ridiculous character catchphrases (Marna chalega, harna nahin) are mildly headache-inducing, the world of the film and my own decision to suspend disbelief made even such moments bearable.
The performances were mediocre as expected, but honestly good acting in this kind of a film would perhaps have been harder to digest than the troubling beliefs about women held by the lead characters. A special mention to Arjun Kapoor though— for an impressive transformation and relatively decent performance, at least during the first half of the film.
Good music, actors that are pleasing to the eyes, and some good old-fashioned masala entertainment make this harebrained film surprisingly entertaining. If you are having a particularly dull weekend watching Ek Villain Returns may not be the worst idea, or as Tara Sutaria puts it, after watching the film aapki “shaamat” nahin aayegi.
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