Murder

Mallika Sherawat is the bored and neglected wife of Ashmit Patel. By chance she bumps into an old flame Emran Hashmi and after a bit of dithering they heat up the screen with their passion. They make out everywhere including on the terrace wrapped in black silk sheets.Till this point the audience is happy and excited with the goings on. When she is initially apprehensive about taking the step the audience egg her on sure that Mallika with her skimpy clothes will provide a treat for them. She delivers.

Sudhir and Simran's loneliness brings them together and ignites the passion. Subsequently, they cross all limits, getting obsessed and addicted to each other in the process. Sudhir begins to pick up on clues that his wife is hiding something. He even hires a detective to keep track of her activities. And his doubts come true when the detective gives him proof of her infidelity. Sudhir's world is shaken with the reality of Simran's affair. On learning the truth, Sudhir decides to confront Sunny. And this very meeting leads to devastating results for all.

MURDER is inspired by Adrian Lyne's UNFAITHFUL [2002; starring Richard Gere, Diane Lane, Oliver Martinez], with alterations in the story to suit Indian sensibilities, but not DOUBLE INDEMNITY [1944].

Anu Malik's music is a big help. "Bheege honth tere" is filmed with the fecund fluidity of a free-flowing erotic painting. Though the background music gets suitably oppressive towards the end, the narrative has a remarkable soundtrack, cleansed of extraneous sounds and yet containing enough incidental noises to indicate a life beyond the immediate words. Though some of the love scenes go boldly beyond the prescriptions of mainstream eroticism, they are tastefully done.

Mallika proves that she's not just a sex goddess. This performance is sure to catch the viewer unexpected. The actor has evolved tremendously since her first full-fledged role [KHWAHISH]. Ashmit Patel may have looked awkward in his debut film [INTEHA], but he seems to have evolved this time around.

On the whole, MURDER is an engrossing entertainer.