7 Khoon Maaf
| 7 Khoon Maaf | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Vishal Bhardwaj |
| Screenplay by | Matthew Robbins Vishal Bhardwaj |
| Story by | Ruskin Bond |
| Produced by | Ronnie Screwvala Vishal Bhardwaj |
| Starring | Priyanka Chopra Neil Nitin Mukesh John Abraham Irrfan Khan Aleksandr Dyachenko Annu Kapoor Naseeruddin Shah Vivaan Shah Usha Uthup |
| Cinematography | Ranjan Palit |
| Edited by | A. Sreekar Prasad |
| Music by | Vishal Bhardwaj |
| Distributed by | UTV Spotboy VB Pictures Pvt. Ltd. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 148 minutes[1] |
| Country | Template:Film India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Budget | ₹22 crore (US$2.6 million)[2] |
| Box office | ₹14.75 crore (US$1.8 million)[3] |
7 Khoon Maaf (also known as Saat Khoon Maaf), (Hindi: ७ खून माफ़ या सात खून माफ़, English: Seven Murders Forgiven) is a 2011 Hindi black comedy drama thriller film directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, starring Priyanka Chopra in the lead role. The film, based on Ruskin Bond's short story, Susanna's Seven Husbands,[4] features seven male leads with Naseeruddin Shah who plays the oldest husband, Neil Nitin Mukesh as the youngest husband, as well as John Abraham, Irrfan Khan, Annu Kapoor and Russian actor Aleksandr Dyachenko. The seventh husband is a mystery that the viewer will find at the end of the film.[5] Priyanka Chopra will be seen playing a femme fatale in the film.[6] 7 Khoon Maaf was first scheduled for release on 21 January 2011,[7] but was later postponed to 18 February 2011. The film had its premiere at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival.[8]
Plot
The film tells the story of a beautiful Anglo-Indian woman Susanna Anna-Marie Johannes (Priyanka Chopra) who goes on to kill all her husbands.[9] Susanna tries to find love but six of her seven husbands have a fatal flaw so she kills them. These killings and her yearning for love is explained by the fact that she had lost her mother at very young age. The story is narrated by a young forensic doctor Arun (Vivaan Shah) to his wife (Konkona Sen Sharma). Arun has observed Susanna since his childhood and has nurtured a secret crush on her. The boy owes his whole life to Susanna as she funded his education and made him what he is today. He starts off by declaring to his wife that Susanna has committed suicide leaving him a note congratulating him for his marriage. The doctor is now in charge of confirming whether the body found is Susanna's. Unable to overcome the grief of her death he lets out his feelings to his wife who listens to him patiently.
Susanna's first husband Edwin Rodriques (Neil Nitin Mukesh), an Army Major, whose fatal flaw is that he is overbearing, jealous and possessive. He is crippled and unable to digest the fact that a beautiful women such as Susanna would actually be faithful to him and would be able to love him. There comes a point when he even starts to doubt his ability to father a child and takes out his anger on his wife. Though she bears the mental torture he subjects her to day after day she could not forgive him for blinding her faithful horse keeper in a fight. He is disposed off, during a panther hunting trip with the help of her faithful maid (Usha Uthup), her butler and a blind horse keeper. Susanna's second husband Jimmy Stetson (John Abraham) is a singer whose flaw is pride. The marriage starts off well but Jimmy being an aspiring singer starts gaining fame and misusing his new found fame. He starts stealing songs and spending time with other women and becomes dependent on drugs. Susanna wants to be lucky in love the second time and tries her level best to get him out of his addiction but in vain as he gets hooked on to his addiction again secretly. At last she gives up on him and disposes him off through a Heroin overdose. The police find foot prints near his body which indicate that someone with six toes has committed the murder.
Susanna's third husband Wasiullah Khan (Irrfan Khan) is a soft and thoughtful poet by day, a sado-masochist by night. Susanna tries to cover the bruises he gives at night with make-up. Her faithful servant cannot bear to see her depressed and beaten up and advise her to get rid of him which she eventually agrees to. He is buried in a snowy grave in Kashmir. Her fourth husband, Nicolai Vronsky (Aleksandr Dyachenko) is a Russian Spy leading a double life. When Susanna finds out that he has another wife who has borne him kids, her anger knows no bounds. He meets his end courtesy Susanna's pet snakes. Susanna transits into partial madness and no longer needs to ponder before disposing off anyone she disapproves. Her fifth husband Keemat Lal (Annu Kapoor) is a police inspector, who has shielded his 'Madame' from prosecution in two murders (He lures her into marriage). With a voracious appetite for sex, his need for Viagra proves to be his undoing as one fateful night, she makes him overdose on his Viagra by mixing it in his drink. Dr. Modhusudhon Tarafdar (Naseeruddin Shah) a Bengali doctor saves her of a suicidal attack she had due to loneliness and guilt and puts her on a mushroom only diet. While she does not wish to marry he convinces her into marriage saying that she will be the sole inheritor of his property. He tries to kill Susanna a few years after their marriage in order to inherit her money as he is actually a bankrupt. He tries to poison her with soup, however the butler drinks it by accident and dies instead. In a state of shock, she shoots Modhuda during a session of Russian roulette.
That same night, Susanna lights her house on fire in an attempt to kill herself. Her faithful maid with six toes comes to save her instead dies in flame. In the forensic lab Arun finds out that the body is not susanna's yet declares her dead in his reports. He goes in search of Susanna and finds her where she tells him she finally is getting married the next day to someone who accepts her knowing all of her sins. The seventh husband is finally one who is full of love, and already 'dead'. Her seventh husband is Jesus as she becomes a nun at the end. Susanna finally found the love she kept seeking all through her life and this man would never hurt her. Arun and his wife go back home after he tells her Susanna is dead forever.
Cast
- Priyanka Chopra as Susanna Anna-Marie Johannes
- Neil Nitin Mukesh as Major Edwin Rodriques
- John Abraham as Jimmy Stetson
- Irrfan Khan as Wasiullah Khan a.k.a. Musafir
- Aleksandr Dyachenko as Nicolai Vronsky
- Annu Kapoor as Inspector Keemat Lal
- Naseeruddin Shah as Dr. Modhusudhon Tarafdar
- Vivaan Shah as Arun Kumar
- Usha Uthup as Maggie aunty
- Harish Khanna as Ghalib Khan
- Shashi Malviya as Goonga
- Konkona Sen Sharma as Nandini, Arun's wife (Cameo)
- Ruskin Bond as Church Father (Cameo)[10]
- Radhika Arora as Nandini's friend (Cameo)
Production
Development
During production, the film underwent two name changes. Initially, the project was titled Seven which was then replaced by Ek Bataa Saat and finally 7 Khoon Maaf. Mohanlal was initially approached by Vishal Bhardwaj for the role of Inspector Keemat Lal, but the southern superstar backed out from the film for unspecified reasons.[11] And was at last moment replaced by Annu Kapoor.[12]
In this film, Priyanka Chopra's character ages from 20-65[13] and will be seen going through seven marriages at different stages of her life, for which prosthetics had been used. And for that director Vishal Bhardwaj has hired Hollywood special make-up effects artist, Todd Tucker who was a part of the make-up effects team of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), to create those seven different looks for Priyanka Chopra's character in the film.[14] And out of those the most challenging one was that of the 65-year-old woman,[15] for which the make-up team has used Priyanka's grandmother’s photo to try and make her look as close to her as possible.[16] During the process, Priyanka did not eat or drink anything for hours for the shoots that involved prosthetics.[17] Vishal also wanted Priyanka to put on 5 Kilograms to fit the bill of the character.[18]
Filming
Filming began on March 24, 2010[19] at the Shalimar Bagh in Srinagar,[20] before moving on to Delhi,[21] followed by a 2 month schedule in Coorg[22][23] and some portions were also shot in Mysore,[24] Pondicherry,[25] Mumbai[26] and Moscow.
Reception
Critical reception
The film screen at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival as a part of its world premiere in the Panorama section of the festival.[27] At the Friedrichstadt Palace, a Berlin theatre, some 2,500 people watched the screening on the last night of the festival, and later gave the director and the nine-member cast and crew a standing ovation as they came on the stage at the end of its screening.[28]
7 Khoon Maaf received generally positive remarks. Nikhat Kazmi of the Times of India gave the film four stars out of five describing the film as "serious, sensitive and stirring" and "a whole new cinematic experience."[29] Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave the film three stars saying that "7 Khoon Maaf is a dark film that has its share of positives and negatives. However, the film will meet with diverse reactions - some will fancy it, while some will abhor it. The film will appeal more to the critics/columnists and the festival circuit."[30] Swati Bhattacharyya of Dainik Bhaskar rated the film 4/5.[31] Aniruddha Guha of the Daily News and Analysis gave the film a review of 4/5 calling it a "bloody good film."[32] The Indo-Asian News Service described the film as a "winner" by Vishal Bhardwaj and gave it a rating of 4/5.[33] Zee News rated the film as "dark, engaging and unapologetic" and also gave it 4/5.[34] Notable film critic Subhash K. Jha rated the film 4/5 and said "Chalk up an absolute winner for the Vishal Bhardwaj-Priyanka Chopra team. They make a coherent vision out of an inconceivable marital crises."[35] Mayank Shekhar of the Hindustan Times gave it 3/5 saying "The movie is clearly crafted around strong, effective scenes alone: a lot of it, cleanly cut and clinical, a whole lot immediately compelling."[36]
Anupama Chopra of NDTV Movies gave the movie two and a half stars out of five terming it a "Disappointment" and saying that "the film stumbles and fumbles. The episodic nature of the narrative makes the plot predictable."[37] Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN gave the movie a 2/5 saying "It tests your patience" and "Vishal Bhardwaj delivers his oddest film yet, that is also sadly his weakest."[38]
Box office
At the box office, the film opened to a weak response across India. The business was low at single screens (8% to 10%), but slightly better at multiplexes (15% to 20%).[39] Released with 786 prints, the film collected ₹ 13 crore in its opening weekend.[2] However the film managed to surpass its cost, within its first week at the box office, itself.[2]
Soundtrack
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
The film's score and songs were composed by Vishal Bhardwaj and the lyrics were penned by Gulzar. The official soundtrack contains seven songs and two reprise versions. The soundtrack was digitally released on Ovi (Nokia) on 21 January 2011. It was physically released on 24 January 2011.[40] The soundtrack received overall positive reviews.[41][42][43][44] The song "Darling" is based on the Russian folk song Kalinka, and has been given credit for it on the album cover.[45] The song "Tere Liye" performed by Suresh Wadkar, was not used in the film.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Darling" | Usha Uthup, Rekha Bhardwaj | 3:27 |
| 2. | "Bekaraan" | Vishal Bhardwaj | 6:25 |
| 3. | "O' Mama" | KK, Rap: Clinton Cerejo | 4:53 |
| 4. | "Awaara" | Master Saleem | 5:31 |
| 5. | "Tere Liye" | Suresh Wadkar | 5:42 |
| 6. | "Dil Dil Hai" | Suraj Jagan | 3:06 |
| 7. | "Yeshu" | Rekha Bhardwaj | 6:26 |
| 8. | "Doosri Darling" | Usha Uthup, Rekha Bhardwaj, Clinton Cerejo, Francois Castellino | 3:04 |
| 9. | "O' Mama" (Acoustic) | KK | 1:50 |
References
- ^ "7 Khoon Maaf". BBFC. 14 February 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
- ^ a b c "After good reviews, '7 Khoon Maaf' earns Rs.28 crore". The Economic Times. 22 February 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
- ^ Boxofficeindia.Com Trade Network (28 February 2011). "Saat Khoon Maaf First Week Territorial Breakdown". Boxofficeindia.com. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
- ^ Sharma, Smrity (22 October 2010). "Priyanka Chopra outdoes herself in Saat Khoon Maaf". The Times of India. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
- ^ Joshi, Tushar (23 July 2010). "Priyanka Chopra on her seven men". MiD DAY. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
- ^ Indo-Asian News Service (8 April 2010). "'Saat Khoon Maaf' will be unique: Priyanka Chopra". IBN Live. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
- ^ "Priyanka Chopra's sixty-five-year-old look in Saat Khoon Maaf". sawfnews. 5 July 2010. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
- ^ "61st Berlin International Film Festival Panorama 2011 with Renowned Directors, Three Films on India and Many New Discoveries". Vimooz. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
- ^ Dasgupta, Piyasree (22 November 2009). "Priyanka Chopra as female Bluebeard in Vishal Bhardwaj's Next!". Indian Express. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
- ^ IANS (25 January 2011). "Ruskin Bond to do a cameo in Saat Khoon Maaf". Times of India. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- ^ Jha, Subhash K. (20 April 2010). "Mohanlal opts out of Saat Khoon Maaf". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
- ^ Mumbai Mirror (2 February 2011). "Priyanka wants to kill Anu Kapoor!". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
- ^ Indo-Asian News Service (2010-09-01). "I age from 20-65 in Saat Khoon Maaf: Priyanka". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 01-11-2010.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Banerjee, Debesh (7 February 2011). Chopra--s-different-looks/747016/ "Age transitions: The hand behind [[Priyanka Chopra]]'s different looks". Indian Express. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
{{cite news}}: Check|url=value (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help) - ^ Kotwani, Hiren (2010-07-19). "Priyanka on killing seven husbands". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 01-11-2010.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Joshi, Tushar (2010-07-05). "Priyanka is her own granny". MiD DAY. Retrieved 01-11-2010.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Ganguly, Prithwish (2010-08-04). "Priyanka Chopra uses prosthetics as makeup". DNA India. Retrieved 01-11-2010.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Indo-Asian News Service (2010-06-07). "Meet 'plump' Priyanka in Saat Khoon Maaf". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 01-11-2010.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Chopra, Priyanka (24 March 2010). "Vishal sirs film starts today. Flying anonymously to a place up north". Twitter. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
- ^ Anil, Raina (28 March 2010). "Priyanka all set to murder". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
- ^ Kumar, Ranjit (5 April 2010). "Priyanka in Delhi for Saat Khoon Maaf". Times of India. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
- ^ Jha, Subhash K. (6 May 2010). "Priyanka's self-imposed sabbatical!". Filmicafe. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
- ^ Dubey, Rachana (6 May 2010). "John free from Saat Khoon Maaf". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
- ^ Mazumder, Jayeeta (31 May 2010). "Priyanka Chopra gets spooked". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
- ^ "PC back in city after 65 days". Hindustan Times. 28 June 2010. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
- ^ Jha, Subhash K. (9 July 2010). "John to miss out on FIFA finals". Mumbai Miror. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
- ^ "Panorama 2011 with Renowned Directors, Three Films on India and Many New Discoveries". berlinale.de. 19 January 2011.
- ^ "7 Khoon Maaf gets a rousing response in Berlinale". NDTV Movies. February 19, 2011 (Berlin).
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Kazmi, Nikhat (17 February 2011). "7 Khoon Maaf Movie Review". Times of India. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
- ^ Adarsh, Taran (18 February 2011). "7 Khoon Maff: Movie Review". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
- ^ Bhattacharyya, Swati (18 February 2011). "7 Khoon Maaf, Film review". Dainik Bhaskar. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
- ^ Guha, Aniruddha (18 February 2011). "Review: 7 Khoon Maaf is wicked, trippy and fun". Daily News and Analysis. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
- ^ IANS (18 February 2011). "'7 Khoon Maaf', a winner by Vishal Bhardwaj". Sify Movies. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
- ^ Spicezee Bureau (19 February 2011). "Review: '7 Khoon Maaf' is dark, engaging and unapologetic". Spice Zee. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
- ^ Subhash K Jha (18 February 2011). "'7 Khoon Maaf', a winner by Vishal Bhardwaj". Nowrunning. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
- ^ "Mayank Shekhar's review: 7 Khoon Maaf". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
- ^ Chopra, Anupama (18 February 2011). "Movie Review: 7 Khoon Maaf". NDTV Movies. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
- ^ Masand, Rajeev (19 February 2011). "Masand: 'Saat Khoon Maaf' tests your patience". CNN-IBN. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
- ^ Adarsh, Taran (18 February 2011). "B.O. update: '7 Khoon Maaf' opens to lukewarm response". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
- ^ 7 Khoon Maaf - Official Music Premiere Sony Music India Official Facebook page. Retrieved 2011-01-21
- ^ Tuteja, Joginder (29 January 2011). "7 Khoon Maaf: Music Review". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
- ^ Indo-Asian News Service (29 January 2011). "Music Review: 7 Khoon Maaf". Hinsustan Times. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
- ^ Satyajit. "Music Review: 7 Khoon Maaf". Glamsham. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
- ^ Musicaloud. "7 Khoon Maaf - Music Review". Retrieved 24-01-2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "Saat Khoon Maaf song 'Darrrling' inspired by Russian song". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
External links
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