Introduction
- MONICA O MY DARLING is an adaptation of a Japanese novel
- Written by Yogesh Chandekar and directed by Vasan Bala
- Thrilling plot with twists and turns
- Humorous despite the gore and murder
Plot Summary
- Satyanarayan Adhikari heads the Unicorn group in Pune, which creates a state-of-the-art robot
- His son Nishikant Adhikari is annoyed when Satyanarayan promotes Jayant Arkhedkar to the board of directors
- Jayant is secretly dating Nikki, Satyanarayan’s daughter, in order to marry her and eventually take over the Unicorn empire
- Jayant has a fling with Monica Machado, who works at Unicorn, and gets her pregnant
- Nishikant writes Jayant a letter, asking him to come to a Khandala hotel, where he reveals that Monica has also blackmailed him and Arvind Manivannan from the accounts department
- They decide to murder Monica and dispose of her body
- Jayant finds a body wrapped in a tarpaulin at the mill where the murder is supposed to take place, and assumes it is Monica’s body
- He transports the body to Khandala, where Arvind disposes of it
- The next day, Monica shows up alive at an investor meeting, leaving Jayant and Arvind wondering whose body they disposed of
Analysis
- Yogesh Chandekar’s screenplay is well-done, with a few predictable scenes
- Dialogues by Chandekar and Vasan Bala contribute to the humor in the film
- Vasan Bala’s direction is impressive, with a Sriram Raghavan-like feel to the film and his own quirks added in
- The film slows down in the second half, with too many murders and a convenient investigation by ACP Naidu
- Shalu and Gaurya’s subplot is hard to believe, with their quick marriage after Shalu’s traumatic experience
Conclusion
Overall, MONICA O MY DARLING is a thrilling and humorous film with a well-done screenplay and direction, but with some believability issues in the second half.