"Put your arms behind me—let me take you back in time," invites lover-boy Hashmi as Mallika Sherawat slithers sensuously across his big, macho bike.
A line that sets the tone for Murder, where the audience is transported back in time to a simpler, easier world—a world of cavemen where all communication is either in moans and grunts or completely non-verbal, a world of passion, violence and not too many clothes. The plot of this unfaithful but technically sound remake of Unfaithful is basically this—bored wife (Sherawat) has an affair with ex-boyfriend (Hashmi) to get away from boring husband (Patel) and an annoying child. The husband finds out about the affair and everyone shouts a lot.
And yes, someone gets murdered. There are a few twists and unexpected dead ex-wives too, but it's far easier to just ignore them. If Mahesh Bhatt ever remakes Planet of the Apes, he has his lead actor—Hashmi growls, pants, yells and flails his hairy limbs around on what one sincerely hopes were the director's instructions, and as a violent, obsessed lover he's unlikely to evoke lust in bosoms other than his co-star's.
Patel doesn't have very much to do in a role he essentially doesn't suit, but brings a touch of sanity to the proceedings and drags corpses around with elan and enthusiasm. But the star of Murder is undoubtedly Sherawat, who shows not just plenty of flawless skin, but Sehwag-like acceleration as well, as she speeds from blank-faced blandness to screeching hysteria and back again in two seconds flat. To her credit, she's obviously worked hard on her role, and shows potential ability to emote if a movie that's more than a kiss-count ever comes her way. If you're seeing this movie to understand the new face of 21st-century Bollywood, make sure you remember to look at her face sometimes.
With an entertaining soundtrack and various exotic locales as settings for all the threshing about, Murder is mindless but good fun to watch—you just might like it for its own sake, but even if you find yourself neither involved nor titillated, you'll have a good laugh. This well-marketed erotic thriller is neither thrilling nor particularly erotic, but where else can you hear the immortal line, "I love you lauthth".
US Top 5
1. Hellboy
2. Walking Tall
3. Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
4. Home on the Range
5. The Passion
INDIAN Top 5
1. Murder
2. Hawas
3. Ab Tak 56
4. Muskaan
5. Khakee
Courtesy: Film Information
