Durgamati:- The Myth Movie Review Rating: 2/5 Stars (Two stars)
Star Cast:- Bhumi Pednekar x two times the disappointment, Arshad Warsi, Mahie Gill’s Bengali Accent, Karan Kapadia & supporting cast which didn’t lend any support
Director:- Ashok G
What’s Good:- For those who were skipping this thinking it’s a horror film, can now skip thinking it’s not a horror film!
What’s Bad:- I had to sit through the entire film to review, whereas you guys will have an option to switch it off anytime.
Loo Break:- I don’t think you’ll be watching this till the time you think to take a break
Watch or Not?:- I’d prefer to sit down in a dark corner and stare it for 155 minutes!
RATING:- 2 Stars
In a too abrupt start, we see a certain village getting attacked by a group of people. Cut to Ishwar Prasad (Arshad Warsi), Minister of Water Resources, is seen addressing the media over the issue of stolen antiques from the ancient temples. He promises to quit politics if the government fails to track down the people behind this.
CBI Joint Director Satakshi Ganguly (Mahie Gill) is called in from the ruling part’s side to find some dirt on Ishwar. Enters Ishwar’s former personal secretary IAS Chanchal Chauhan (Bhumi Pednekar), who’s spending her time in prison for shooting her husband dead. Satakshi takes her to an abandoned ‘haveli’ to question her.
Enters Durgamati (Also Bhumi Pednekar but way too melodramatic). Durgamati is the spirit of the dead queen of that ‘haveli’ & like every other horror flick, the spirit is here for some kind of revenge. What revenge? That’s the final 30 minutes and are indeed the only bearable ones.
Despite the weak script, Bhumi had the potential to pull this off just by doing her part. Bhumi’s energy as Durgamati is duller than the chances of getting my life straight. It never matches the voice she has dubbed for. This conflicting nature between what she says & how she expresses it is a major turn-off.
Arshad Warsi sleepwalks 90% of the time through his ordinary character.
The major problem with the story of this film is that it exists only in the last 30 minutes. Totalling to 2 hours & 35 minutes, Ashok’s script takes 2 hours to establish what could’ve been achieved at half of its time. The drastically stretched narrative shatters very few good things the movie possesses. There’s a dialogue in the start which goes as, “we’re starting this on a wrong note”, little did they know that they’re starting the entire film on a disastrous note.
Ashok’s direction is pretty much average. He can definitely do well with a better script. The BGM is exceptionally controlled and surprisingly doesn’t go much loud despite the over-the-top drama.
All said and done, Durgamati is an all-over-the-place horror-drama. The intent of adapting and remaking a good story is clearly missing. It’s a horror of a film!
