Mallika Review {1/5} & Review Rating
Certain stories that the Ramsay Brothers attempted a few decades ago are being rehashed and packaged in new avtaars to this date. The revenge of the restless soul, the reincarnation bit, the spate of murders, the decomposed dead body coming to life... haven't we watched it all in the past? MALLIKA is hackneyed, uninspired and clichéd from start to end. Also, there's nothing in the film that would make you jump out of your seat or give you sleepless nights at home. On the contrary, the film is unintentionally funny and also makes you chuckle at the absurdities at several points in the story.
In today's times, when storytellers are daring to break the shackles of stereotypical cinema, MALLIKA comes across as an obsolete fare that offers nothing new to the viewer.
Final word? One of the cheesiest films of all times!
Sanjana [Sheena Nayyar] is haunted by nightmares and vivid visions of a murder that took place in her house. Unable to take it any longer, Sanjana decides to go for a vacation, hoping that those visions will stop chasing her. She lands up at a fort cum resort in Rajasthan. However, little does she know that things are going to go from bad to worse at the fort, which holds a dark secret deep inside its chest.
MALLIKA holds a new record in recent times: Practically every woman in the film goes for a shower or heads for a bathing tub every 10/15 minutes. If that's not enough, the women wear the skimpiest of outfits, which makes it looks like a skin-fest of sorts. Besides the aatma seeking revenge, there's a half-baked love story, a weirdo cop and a couple of songs thrown in to complete the package.
The writing is shoddy and the direction, non-existent. In fact, director Wilson Louis ought to know that skin-show cannot substitute for a riveting story. The music is of fast-forward variety as well, barring the remix of the yesteryear hit, 'Woh Bhuli Dastaan Lo Phir Yaad Aa Gayee'. Visual effects are tacky.
The performances are below par. Sheena Nayyar can't act. Sammir Dattani sleepwalks through his role. Mamik wears one expression all through. Himanshu Mallik gets no scope. Rajesh Khera is stereotypical. Suresh Menon hams. The remaining actors are a bunch of non-actors.
On the whole, sitting through MALLIKA is an exasperating experience!
