"Manorama Six Feet Under" is a film inspired by "Chinatown". Indian movies that are inspired by foreign films, or outright copies, are pretty common.
When the story begins, Satyaveer has been suspended from his job as a policeman. Apparently, his recent bribe was noticed by the powers that be...though according to this and MANY Indian movies I've seen, policemen taking bribes is pretty much the norm. While awaiting his review and possible return to the force, a woman comes to him...asking him to do some detecting work. Apparently, she thinks her husband, the Irrigation Minister, is cheating on her. He sneaks into the man's compound and snaps a few photos of the man with a young woman....and he then gives him to the wife. However, he soon learns she's NOT the man's wife! And, there's obviously something serious going on here, as a couple goons soon beat the stuffing out of Satyaveer AND the fake wife turns up dead...and it's declared a suicide. But he knows it cannot be, and so Satyaveer continues investigating the case. In the meantime, Satyaveer's bitter wife has left him. She's sick of him working on this case as well as his suspension. Based on what we see of her, Satyaveer is now a lucky man! What's next? And what sort of conspiracy is afoot? And what does the new canal project have to do with all this?
Like "Chinatown", this film is a bit violent and, at times, hard to watch--especially when the goons break Satyaveer's fingers. At least they didn't slice his nose apart as they did in the American film! There also is a bit of a body count through the course of the story. I am mentioning these in case you dislike violent films...the film certainly is, but not gratuitously so.
I am no expert on Indian films, though I have seen a couple hundred more or less. I did notice, though, that unlike most Indian films we get here in the States, there are none of the usual musical numbers. Even in gangster films, I've seen song and dance numbers....and I think the lack of these scenes helps "Manorama Six Feet Under" to be more tense and realistic.
Overall, a very fascinating film...albeit a tad slow. It has a very complicated plot that very slowly unfolds as well as a few surprised here and there...the sorts of things that make a thriller like this one work well. Well worth seeing and stylistically, a film that non-Bollywood fans might find more familiar and approachable. I did, however, deduct a point in my rating simply because the story wasn't exactly an original...though fortunately it was different enough from "Chinatown" that it's still very worth watching.
When the story begins, Satyaveer has been suspended from his job as a policeman. Apparently, his recent bribe was noticed by the powers that be...though according to this and MANY Indian movies I've seen, policemen taking bribes is pretty much the norm. While awaiting his review and possible return to the force, a woman comes to him...asking him to do some detecting work. Apparently, she thinks her husband, the Irrigation Minister, is cheating on her. He sneaks into the man's compound and snaps a few photos of the man with a young woman....and he then gives him to the wife. However, he soon learns she's NOT the man's wife! And, there's obviously something serious going on here, as a couple goons soon beat the stuffing out of Satyaveer AND the fake wife turns up dead...and it's declared a suicide. But he knows it cannot be, and so Satyaveer continues investigating the case. In the meantime, Satyaveer's bitter wife has left him. She's sick of him working on this case as well as his suspension. Based on what we see of her, Satyaveer is now a lucky man! What's next? And what sort of conspiracy is afoot? And what does the new canal project have to do with all this?
Like "Chinatown", this film is a bit violent and, at times, hard to watch--especially when the goons break Satyaveer's fingers. At least they didn't slice his nose apart as they did in the American film! There also is a bit of a body count through the course of the story. I am mentioning these in case you dislike violent films...the film certainly is, but not gratuitously so.
I am no expert on Indian films, though I have seen a couple hundred more or less. I did notice, though, that unlike most Indian films we get here in the States, there are none of the usual musical numbers. Even in gangster films, I've seen song and dance numbers....and I think the lack of these scenes helps "Manorama Six Feet Under" to be more tense and realistic.
Overall, a very fascinating film...albeit a tad slow. It has a very complicated plot that very slowly unfolds as well as a few surprised here and there...the sorts of things that make a thriller like this one work well. Well worth seeing and stylistically, a film that non-Bollywood fans might find more familiar and approachable. I did, however, deduct a point in my rating simply because the story wasn't exactly an original...though fortunately it was different enough from "Chinatown" that it's still very worth watching.