Forensic
Introduction
Thank God It Is Friday and I haven’t got a single day off owing to the new releases. And that trend will continue this weekend with its new share of releases but then who is complaining? So first up, I finished watching the new Hindi film Forensic streaming on Zee5. It is the official adaptation of the Malayalam film by the same name, a film which I had watched during the first lockdown. And you by now know that I enjoy my share of serial killer films. Although Forensic was not the best Malayalam film which I had watched but it certainly was thrilling and gripping with a lot of twists and turns(do read my full review of it on Popcorn Reviewss). And so when the Hindi Adaptation was announced, I found it a little unnecessary owing to the track record of the various “scene to scene” adaptations. With much skepticism, I finished watching the Hindi Adaptation of Forensic last night, does it match up with the original, lets find out.
Story & Screenplay
An official adaptation of the original Malayalam film by the same name, Forensic follows the investigation behind the killing of young girls in the hilly regions of Mussoorie. The story is good and the good news is that it is NOT a scene to scene copy. The writers must be applauded for giving this film a fresh setting and not blatantly copying the original. But herein lies the issue as well. The screenplay tried to be so different including a bizarre twist at the end that it steers off the path to an extent.
The screenplay standing just over two hours seemed like an apt length which promised that the drama will not drag. And it opens on a good note with a boy staring at a girl who is celebrating her birthday. Soon the writers begin soaking you in the gloomy hills which adds to the ambience of the drama. I was really impressed at the setting and I thought I was in for a fun ride. But there are stutters along the way.
There are some glaring drawbacks here. If you remember the original, the mood of the drama was serious and tense and it did keep you hook throughout its narrative. But here the mood isn’t exactly tense. The lighter notes of some of the other characters just squeezed off all the tension which was initially building. There had to be some level of seriousness(although there was to be fair but a little more) to the drama to really hold your attention. Secondly, the importance of a romantic angle was just not required. It did not really add anything to the drama and instead it steered away from the main serial killer angle.
While there are many things to like in the screenplay which is gripping in parts, the ending is something which would be met with mixed reaction. Some people would applaud it while some would find it illogical and forced. Unfortunately, I fall in the second category. While it was commendable of the writers to attempt something new, but this seemed rather far fetched and forced, also highly illogical. There was no real justification provided for the same. Instead, this twist just seemed to be introduced to shock the people who have watched the original. Had they explored another angle it may have been interesting(I can’t quite give out spoilers) but the ending was at best bizarre! Overall, a different screenplay from the original but it doesn’t exactly land.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are alright but I would have enjoyed a lot more of the forensic investigation(as in the original) as opposed to the love story through conversations. The music is definitely not upto the mark and the songs hinder the flow of the drama, the BGM is less explored here. Probably, a BGM theme would have been ideal for such a film. Director Vishal Furia is generally a good director and he had made a good Hindi adaptation(Chhorii) of his own film Lapachhapi. But here, in trying to do something very different he falters. Had there been an uninterrupted focus on the main plot, even the bizarre end would have been absorbed well. To be fair, he does show glimpses of some nicely executed sequences which include the final act which was better than the original, but overall his direction lacks a punch.
Performances
The performances are quite good here. Rohit Roy as Abhay is quite good although his character gives him little scope to break free. Vindoo Dara Singh has done a good job although his character in trying to be funny during a crime scene just extracts out all the tension which has been built it. Prachi Desai as Dr. Ranjana does a commendable job. Radhika Apte as Megha is first rate and quite a natural onscreen. Vikrant Massey as Johnny is good as well in a different character from that of Tovino. All other characters are decently good.
Conclusion
Forensic is a bit of a mixed bag. While the effort of doing something different(from the original) should be applauded, the patchy and bizarre writing ensures that the film doesn’t quite land well. Available on Zee5.