Manorama Six Feet Under: Abhay Deol’s performance powers this underrated slow-burn thriller

In our new weekly series, Tuesday Talkies, we recommend critically acclaimed and award-winning Indian films.

Some films start really slow but as their story progresses, they take one through a breathless ride filled with thrills and excitement, without any room for boredom. Manorama Six Feet Under is one such film. Helmed by Navdeep Singh, who is best known for directing NH10, the film takes its time to get into the thick of the action, but when it does, it unravels a series of ugly secrets and lies that exposes the inherent greed in human beings for money and power.

Set in Rajasthan’s Lakhot, the film opens with a voiceover where the narrator is comparing his life to the desert — dry, withered, dull, and thirsty. The narrator is the film’s protagonist Satyaveer Singh Randhawa (Abhay Deol), a public works engineer who dreamt of becoming a famous and successful writer. His only novel, Manorama, failed miserably with just 200 copies being sold. Moreover, he is on the verge of losing his job following bribery allegations. He leads a very uneventful and mundane life with his wife, Nimmi, and son, until a woman knocks on his door one night.

The woman introduces herself as Mrs. P. P. Rathore, the wife of the irrigation minister. She claims to be a fan of Randhawa’s novel, especially the character of detective Raghu. She then puts forth a strange request — to spy on her husband who, she believes, is having an extramarital affair. She also offers him a handsome amount in exchange for the favour. Randhawa takes up the task even though Nimmi warns him against it. The next day, Randhawa heads to the minister’s residence, clicks a few pictures, and hands over the film roll to Mrs. P. P. Rathore. But a few days later, Randhawa realises that the woman who assigned him the task was not Rathore’s wife. Things take a turn when he spots the woman running for her life one night. She requests him to remember her name and age — Manorama, 32 years old. A perplexed and drunk Randhawa doesn’t understand her words until she is found dead the next day. Soon, he gets involved in a deadly game with the rich and the mighty and realises that he has embroiled himself in more than what he bargained for.

Singh, who made his directorial debut with the film, spends enough time giving the audience an insight into Randhawa’s life. Although the pacing of the film is slow, we find ourselves drawn to the character. Additionally, all the characters in the film are shades of grey — they have all done good and bad things in life. Even Randhawa is not a virtuous man. He himself is a part of the corrupt system against which he wages a lone battle in the latter act of the film. He even develops feelings for another woman in the absence of his wife. The film is replete with such morally-flawed characters.

Abhay Deol is the heart and soul of the film. He portrays Randhawa’s character with genuine honesty and maturity. He is certainly one of the most talented actors in Bollywood and it is unfortunate that the industry has not used his talents to the fullest.

Sarika’s character Manorama has an air of mystery around her from the very beginning. The screenplay progresses in a manner which keeps the audience in the dark about her identity or what her intentions are till the very end. The director and writer does a good job at keeping the audience guessing whilstkeeping the tension alive throughout the length of the narrative. The same can be said about Raima Sen’s character as well.

Among the supporting cast, the most noteworthy performance is by Vinay Tripathi who plays Brijmohan, a police officer and Randhawa’s brother-in-law who often tries to steer Randhawa out of trouble. Gul Panag plays the constantly nagging wife to perfection, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui does his part well although the screenplay doesn’t give much importance to his character. Kulbhushan Kharbanda plays the corrupt minister P. P. Rathore.

Manorama Six Feet Under is inspired by the 1974 neo-noir film Chinatown by Roman Polanski. The makers have, in fact, given a subtle hint about the same in the film. Although the climax seems to be a bit hurried up, the film is a must-watch for all those who are fans of the thriller genre.

You can watch the film here.