Some things I liked some I did not.

recommended

Overrated and overhyped

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Here is a daringly dark movie by the director Vishal Bharadwaj who has given us dark tragedies like Maqbool, Omkara. This one like his earlier movie Blue Umbrella is an adaptation of a Ruskin Bond story 'Susanna's Seven Husbands' but while the earlier one was a simple tale this one is very complex psychology that has to be deciphered through the characters that come across.Acted really well by most actors that took part, specifically by Priyanka Chopra holding the limelight this film needs applause only for the gut of the director to pick a story in which there is one murder after another and mostly it's predictable and try to make it as a compelling one. (He tried only, did he succeed, is still a question, nevertheless he tried).You know the end result it shall be a murder of husband's by a woman because they are not nice to her and in what way makes the only difference. Surely at interval, most would have left the theatre coz you seem to know everything that shall happen. But I watched completely in one go and was pretty satisfied at the end.I can appreciate the attempt but yes, this story was far more predictable than thought of. A movie that can be watched surely but just for once. Rating: 2/5

7 Khoon Guilty"I will kill him and drink his blood," - declares Priyanka Chopra for her 7th Husband.and you pity on the thriller , so dark yet uninteresting that Vishal Bhardwaj can be termed Guilty. Adaptation from Ruskin Bond's short story was a brave attempt by VB, However I wish he should stick to William Shakespeare for his inspiration.The movie opens with a flashback and then goes on in a very straight boring way. The thrill is never chilling, nor the murders. All the husbands were turned into some sort of caricatures before 'Piggy' chops them. Loose story and screenplay ruined the dark shadows and camera. The makeup tried to cover-up the patches of VB's venture but it all ended in a long 2 and half hours of movie which drags. Weak characterization of Two male helps and one Maggie aunty proved the weak story . VB forgets to add the real police with law and order in place. Instead he sends an officer with sexual appetite boiled by blue popping pills. Other husbands like the one legged major with a gallantry award was another caricature played well by Neil. Followed by a bulging John, whose love story was never explained. Neither was the drug abuse. Irrfan khan was another disappointment, its good to know that he is buried in snow now. The Russian double agent was another hard hitter without a cause although Naseer had one. He failed too as he portrayed a Bengali Mushroomist. The only artist which impressed me was Vivan Shah. He got his bloody talent from papa Naseeruddin Khan and was flawless with his love for his Shahib. He was patient , smooth and perfect. This adult story had his teenage platonic love angles.The music was of course good. VB kept the tempo and some faith through his music. Like always supported by none other than the legendary Gulzar. Songs like "Tere Liye" and "Bekaran" were very poetic and the best among the lot. So was the two rock numbers. Daarrling was a peppy, saucy foot thumping ballet, just like another 'Dhan te nan'. The chronology of Indian events were kept and excelled along with Priyanka's aging skin. I can forgive Priyanka but not VB. Thank God, her last husband was already dead. We were saved by another caricature.

Every once in a while one comes across a movie where everything seems to be perfect yet the final outcome doesn't come through as it should. Saat Khoon Maaf falls under that category..good techniques , haunting ambiance , good cinematography and excellent acting and yet the end result leaves you wanting for something better.By now everyone knows that the movie is about the character Sussana killing her husbands. The biggest flaw for me was the way the character was portrayed. Some viewers enjoy having a detailed and concrete rationale behind why someone kills...but to me a psychological thriller has a heightened sense of unpredictability when there is no explanation provided as to why someone would kill...Agatha Christie had it , Hitchcock nailed it too.. ..Sussana kills because she kills - no reasons no justifications hence no predictability. This is where Bharadwaj goes wrong according to me. The movie gets bogged down by routine and predictability...By the third murder you know how it goes and even where it goes. Bharadwaj also provides a half baked explanation of the character which doesn't make much sense. Why did she not leave any of her husbands when she had the chance to? Because she keeps snakes as her pets? Because she kills stray dogs? Because her staff has a macabre and lopsided sense of justice ?Really? Dark visuals and moments will just go this far...then the storyline and execution has to take over...I felt nothing for Sussana - neither scared, nor sympathetic nor annoyed.. Priyanka Chopra did her best in whatever the director asked her to do but somewhere it did not quite work out...The same with the other characters in the movie...Neil Nitin Mukesh had the most chilling effect of all and he did excellent justice to the role..John Abraham was a surprise too...But in the end I was expecting something that never came....

Vishal Bharadwaj made a name for himself with each of his movies, and he drastically experimented with genres faster than you could say 'rolling stone gathers no moss'. With Saat Khoon Maaf, he conjures up another scintillating dose of art-meets-entertainment that leaves the audience wanting for more. This is one of the few movies where I saw people actually waiting in the aisles while the credits rolled and the story moved on.Saat Khoon Maaf tells the story of Susannah Anna Marie Joseph. Maybe now Catholics in India will not have to describe what a Christian name is, and why they do not put their father's name. Susannah comes from a rich Christian family from Goa and Pondicherry, who has just one passion in life – love, which she fails to get in all her marriages. The movie tells us about the tragic ends to each of her marriage, and the bitter- sweet end of her life.She marries a major, a poet, a spy, a doctor, a lawman, and an entertainer, and yet, nobody can provide her with the solace and satisfaction that she yearns in her life. The generation that has grown on Mills and Boons will understand that all the heady characters in this profession are hard to find.It is difficult to say what Saat Khoon Maaf is, is it a story of a woman's journey through love and life? Or is it a stunning betrayal of the facade that marriage is? Or else, is this just a story of a serial killer, glorified because of the fact that she is an exotic beauty?Whatever it is, the movie is flawless.Beautifully shot and spell bindingly played on screen, every sequence in the movie unfurls a million story arcs and parallel scripts – and each of them find closure in the end. Vishal Bharadwaj embraces the Christian culture, mentality and region with such collusion that one would just need to take a deep whiff and get a taste – not scent – of chicken being cooked in the kitchen. Never before has this religion been so explicitly and realistically portrayed on screen.It is a fact that most village houses in Old Goa have so many mangroves, vineyards, coconut trees, etc. that none of the family members have ever. Have. to. Step. Out. Of. Their. Houses. To earn money. And it is a fact that very few of them drink during the day. They are ramrod straight, completely diligent and fiercely loyal to their masters. It is this chunk of cultural truth that makes Saat Khoon Maaf such a refreshing watch. And there's much more.Every character is a treat to watch, right from the everyday butler to the horse rearer, to of course the old aunt. Hats off to the story writer to keep these significant characters until the end of the story. The husbands then, are a critical telling on the types of men that people meet in all occupations.While Vishal Bharadwaj goes on to portray women as grey as they are, he leaves no stone unturned to expose the murky, deep existence that man is – and yet tops it up with the innocent, asexual love of a young boy – creating a drink that kicks you in your pants but leaves a sweet taste for the rest of the day.Every aspect has been captured well – the scent of old money, the whiff of quality, beautifully crafted furniture, the ode to past times in Victorian styled framed photographs – these small things create an aura for this movie that is rarely seen in Indian cinema.The director also succeeds in producing the nauseous, ungainly side of marriage and human relationships. Stomachs will turn when they see the Major lifting his newly wedded wife's chin with a shorn off limb that he lost at war, women will nod when they see the blank portrayal of a different kind of pillow talk, children will nod when they see how the muse loses her charm, and yet they go to meet her – one last time.And now, we come to Priyanka Chopra. Future reviews will herald her as the next Smita Patil, or some will already want her to be the next toast to Indie, like Neha Dhupia, and some would also compare her to Shabana Azmi. To tell you the truth, Saat Khoon Maaf is not about whether Priyanka can act or not, it is more about the fact that she gave her nod to this one, after Kaminey.The story of Saat Khoon Maaf is so engrossing that you do not have time to delve into a particular person playing the particular character. The characters are the story, the stories are the characters, human beings are excused – and so is Piggy Chops.