'Mirza Juuliet' - Movie Review

'Mirza Juuliet'
U/A; Romantic/Drama
Director: Rajesh Ram Singh
Cast: Darshan Kumaar, Pia Bajpai, Priyanshu Chatterjee
Rating:

A TYPICAL plot sprinkled with expletives, raunchy sequences and one quirky song is all that 'Mirza Juuliet' is made up of. The film follows a formulaic pattern, but a few performances attempt to hold it together.

The story revolves around a killer for hire, Mirza (Darshan Kumaar), who retired from the world of crime following a political murder, and his childhood friend Juuliet (Piaa Bajpai), who is engaged to the local politician's pervert son. Juuliet is bold, yet innocent, and relies on one of her three brothers' (Priyanshu Chatterjee) political clout to exert dominance. Her brothers' adulation isn't enough to protect her from being raped by her to-be husband, and when buddy Mirza interferes, he finds himself trapped in the political web again. The story touches on several relevant subjects, including wife battering, premarital sex, rape, religion and honour killing.

While predictable in most parts, Mirza Juuliet does offer a few surprises. The protagonists don't fall in love until the end. A well-executed masturbation sequence between Chandan and Piaa has the audience slide into their seats and let out a few giggles.

Priyanshu's earnest performance isn't enough to hold the threadbare storyline together. Darshan Kumaar's subtlety and demeanor makes you wonder why he hasn't bagged notable roles, especially after his turns in Mary Kom (2014), NH10 (2015) and Sarabjit (2016). Piaa tries hard, and at times, a bit too hard to appeal to the audience. Given the sex-starved character he plays, Chandan makes you love to hate him. The film's 130-minute runtime seems stretched, especially since it is predictable. The storyline specifically dips post-interval.

On the whole, director Rajesh Ram Singh gives an average shot at what could have been an interesting film.