BOTTOM LINE
A Mega Bore Crime Thriller
RATING
1.5/5
PLATFORM
NETFLIX
What Is the Film About?
Four red solitaires get stolen at an exhibition in 2009 and the cop Jaswinder Singh sets his eyes on three prime suspects – an elderly man Mangesh Desai, a single parent Kamini Singh and another youngster Sikandar. With no concrete evidence to prove their involvement in the crime, they’re set free. Kamini and Sikandar fall in love but Jaswinder’s life takes a turn for the worse.
Performances
Avinash Tiwary, who adapted to the needs of his cop role so seamlessly in Khakee, has the aura of a school kid whose lollipop has been snatched by an adult. Jimmy Shergill is a capable performer, but his performances and dialogue delivery look redundant film after film. They’re in dire need of some vigour. Tamannah Bhatia’s role is poorly etched and makes little impact. Divya Dutta is wasted in a cameo and Rajeev Mehta’s portrayal passes muster.
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Analysis
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In his prime, Neeraj Pandey churned a handful of slick crime sagas revolving around missions, raids, men in the uniform – bound by a ‘national’ cause – which didn’t resort to crowd-pleasing and yet delivered quality entertainment with their wry humour and busy, eventful screenplays. The sharpness in the execution did come with an expiry date if one has to go by his recent outings.
Sikandar Ka Muqaddar comes right after the director delivered the drubbing – Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha. The latter had all the makings of an epic romance traversing generations with great music, but the tedious screenplay, packed with erratic choices, didn’t let the story reach its destination. His latest film on Netflix too is a victim of the same syndrome, to put it mildly.
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There are flashes of hope in the film that remind you of the good ol’ Neeraj Pandey in the beginning. The setting dates back to 2009 in the backdrop of an exhibition where two men and a woman are accused of stealing four diamonds. While all of them are set free and go on to lead peaceful lives eventually, the unsolved case continues to haunt the cop Jaswinder Singh even after 15 years.
The film never lets its characters grow on you. Even as the tale moves from one event to the other over the years, Sikandar, Kamini and Jaswinder feel like strangers in a near-150 minute narrative. Though there’s an element of mystery in their life initially, the narrative drowns in its slumber to exploit any potential in the premise. You’re tempted to ask the filmmaker, ‘how’s the josh sir?’
It’s the 15-year timeline jump where the film turns messier and the focus shifts to the contrasting fates of Sikandar and Jaswinder. The director does try to justify his need for a non-linear screenplay, though the results are not quite effective. There’s not a single moment that commands your curiosity – it’s as if you’re hand-tied and made to sit in a train which has no engine or brakes.
The cop keeps talking about his instinct/intuition that lead him to the prime suspect. He parts ways with his wife later, is suspended from work – and the information is handed over to the viewer with the sincerity of a Wikipedia link. The same holds true with the destinies of Sikandar, Tabassum and Kamini – you just don’t care for the plight of the characters or their moralities.
Sikandar Ka Muqaddar has a strange hangover of Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha – both films revolve around high-profile cases, have huge time leaps, are connected to Abu Dhabi, where protagonists with a complicated past engage in a no-holds-barred conversation. Instead of love, they discuss crime here. Unlike the latter, where the emotional links and music worked, there’s no respite here.
Sikandar Ka Muqaddar is as emotionally inert as a film can be. Let me say it – it’s a mega bore.
Music and Other Departments?
Sanjoy Chowdhury’s background score succumbs to the ‘dead rubber’ vibe of the screenplay and is only impactful on a handful of occasions. Arvind Singh’s cinematography and Mayur Sharma’s production design are among the brighter spots of the film. The dull treatment and the poor storytelling choices dilute the potential of the premise.
Highlights?
Basic premise
Initial 15-20 minutes
Cinematography, production design
Drawbacks?
Dull performances
Ineffective screenplay, treatment
Poorly etched characters
Did I Enjoy It?
No
Will You Recommend It?
No
Sikandar Ka Muqaddar Movie Review by M9
