| Still from the movie Monica  | Cast: Divya Dutta, Ashutosh Rana, Rajit Kapoor, Yashpal Sharma, Kitu Gidwani, Sandeep Misra Direction: Sushen Bhatnagar Genre: Drama Duration: 2 hours |
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Gripping crime and passion play
Story: Monica Jaitley (Divya Dutta) is an ambitious woman who wants to become a byline of import. But journalism, like most other fields, is a battleground meant for balsy women. She may have transcended her small town bearings and outgrown her laidback husband (Rajit Kapoor), but it doesn't take long for the careerist to realise that breaking news can often end up breaking hearts too. More importantly, it can be injurious to life, specially if it entails hobnobbing with sinister politicians (Ashutosh Rana), cold-blooded power brokers (Sandeep Misra) and hard-boiled industrialists (Kitu Gidwani).
Movie Review: Two things about this film make it immensely watchable. First is the striking topicality of the film. Like No One Killed Jessica, Monica too draws its flesh and blood from real life drama and is ostensibly inspired by the Shivani Bhatnagar case. Atleast the dramatis personae are the same and include a journalist who becomes a pawn in a political game and ends up losing her life for it. The film unfolds as a thrilling courtroom drama where lawyer Yashpal Sharma tries to nail the politician-industrialist nexus that plotted and perpetrated the murder of the gutsy journalist, Monica Jaitley. The courtroom proceedings are punctuated with flashbacks showcasing Monica's stormy rise from small town scribe to high-stakes investigative journalist who hobnobbed with high-profile powerbrokers like the telecom minister, Chandrakant Pandit and the wheeling-dealing industrialist Pamela Grewal. Of course, somewhere along this meteoric ascent, she leaves behind simpleton husband Rajit Kapoor and all the idyll that is associated with sweet domesticity.
The second thing that stands out in this low-on-hype film are the performances. Almost everyone pitches in a stellar act and creates characters that are credible and intensely human. Monica may be a crime drama, but director Sushen Bhatnagar ensures that nobody is a cold-blooded criminal. If Monica, the protagonist who thinks everything's fair for success and survival, never ends up as the bad girl despite her ambiguous morals, then Chandrakant Pandit is a colossus, even though he kills in cold blood. The film boasts of landmark performances by Divya Dutta and Ashutosh Rana as the movers and the shakers in this murky passion play. Rajit Kapoor's anguish as the cuckolded husband who holds on to his dignity is majestic too. Smaller players like Yashpal Sharma, Kitu Gidwani and Sandeep Misra also manage to grab eyeballs.
Don't be mislead by the title (no, it isn't a morning show film) and don't be foxed by the low key publicity. This one's truly a surprise. Check it out.
Story: Monica Jaitley (Divya Dutta) is an ambitious woman who wants to become a byline of import. But journalism, like most other fields, is a battleground meant for balsy women. She may have transcended her small town bearings and outgrown her laidback husband (Rajit Kapoor), but it doesn't take long for the careerist to realise that breaking news can often end up breaking hearts too. More importantly, it can be injurious to life, specially if it entails hobnobbing with sinister politicians (Ashutosh Rana), cold-blooded power brokers (Sandeep Misra) and hard-boiled industrialists (Kitu Gidwani).
Movie Review: Two things about this film make it immensely watchable. First is the striking topicality of the film. Like No One Killed Jessica, Monica too draws its flesh and blood from real life drama and is ostensibly inspired by the Shivani Bhatnagar case. Atleast the dramatis personae are the same and include a journalist who becomes a pawn in a political game and ends up losing her life for it. The film unfolds as a thrilling courtroom drama where lawyer Yashpal Sharma tries to nail the politician-industrialist nexus that plotted and perpetrated the murder of the gutsy journalist, Monica Jaitley. The courtroom proceedings are punctuated with flashbacks showcasing Monica's stormy rise from small town scribe to high-stakes investigative journalist who hobnobbed with high-profile powerbrokers like the telecom minister, Chandrakant Pandit and the wheeling-dealing industrialist Pamela Grewal. Of course, somewhere along this meteoric ascent, she leaves behind simpleton husband Rajit Kapoor and all the idyll that is associated with sweet domesticity.
The second thing that stands out in this low-on-hype film are the performances. Almost everyone pitches in a stellar act and creates characters that are credible and intensely human. Monica may be a crime drama, but director Sushen Bhatnagar ensures that nobody is a cold-blooded criminal. If Monica, the protagonist who thinks everything's fair for success and survival, never ends up as the bad girl despite her ambiguous morals, then Chandrakant Pandit is a colossus, even though he kills in cold blood. The film boasts of landmark performances by Divya Dutta and Ashutosh Rana as the movers and the shakers in this murky passion play. Rajit Kapoor's anguish as the cuckolded husband who holds on to his dignity is majestic too. Smaller players like Yashpal Sharma, Kitu Gidwani and Sandeep Misra also manage to grab eyeballs.
Don't be mislead by the title (no, it isn't a morning show film) and don't be foxed by the low key publicity. This one's truly a surprise. Check it out.
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