Saali Mohabbat ending explained: Did Radhika Apte's Smita commit double murder? What happens to Divyenndu's Ratan Pandit?

In her directorial debut, Tisca Chopra's Saali Mohabbat investigates the complex dynamics of home betrayal and quiet feminine wrath, revealing the deliberate revenge of Radhika Apte's character Smita at the film's climax. The film's last, terrifying reveal is carried out using an intriguing two-tiered structure—a framing device in which 'Kavita' narrates a cautionary tale about 'Smita'—in the film. At its core, the film narrates the story of a strong-willed woman who challenges the norms of a patriarchal culture.

Smita's stifled life and financial strain

Kavita, played by Apte, is an astute woman who seems to be completely out of place at a social gathering. The film opens with her difficult life in Fursatgarh, a fictionalised locale she subsequently uses in her story; her true identity is Smita. The stifling small-town existence that Smita and her husband Pankaj (Anshumaan Pushkar) endured was a result of her gold medal in botany. Pankaj squandered their money on gambling and frequently ridiculed Smita, who resisted his attempts to sell the ancestral property in Moradabad, which was her father's final testament.

Local gangster Gajendra Bhaiya (Anurag Kashyap) required the NOC for a real estate deal, and Pankaj owed him a substantial amount of money. The breaking point for Smita came when she discovered Pankaj was having an affair with her cousin, Shalini (Sauraseni Maitra), who had come to live with them.

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Double murder investigation

In the middle of everything that happens, Pankaj and Shalini are killed. Smita is initially the top suspect in the double murder, despite her modest appearance.

A crucial warning sets off Smita's vengeance, which later reveals itself as a sophisticated and planned counter-scheme, rather than an impulsive act. Pankaj and Gajendra Bhaiya were probably planning to assassinate her in order to compel the sale of the land, according to her reliable gardener (Sharat Saxena), who was her father figure. This danger prompted Smita to take action.

Start of Smita's calculated plot

Smita's scheme involved isolating Pankaj and Shalini by preventing them from communicating through their respective phones.

She also created a false alibi by slipping poison into Shalini's lunch to ensure she would come home early; after that, she asked Shalini to cover for her at a neighbour's party, thereby establishing her alibi. When Gajendra's men showed up, they killed Shalini because they thought she was Smita.

Inspector Ratan Pandit's suspicion

Pankaj arrived to find Shalini dead and suffered an asthmatic attack. Instead of offering assistance, Smita grabbed his inhaler, allowed him to suffer, and then fatally stabbed him. After that, she went back to her neighbour's house to work on her alibi. This meticulously planned plot showcases her ability to use her knowledge of plants in covert ways and her metamorphosis from helpless victim to strategic survivor.

The corrupt police inspector in charge of the investigation, Inspector Ratan Pandit (Divyenndu), once had an illicit attraction to Shalini and close ties to Gajendra Bhaiya. After Smita's complex alibi was exposed as a falsehood, Ratan immediately began to distrust her. He realised that Smita had briefly left the neighbor's house, killed Pankaj, and then returned undetected.

Kavita's narration

After receiving a substantial quantity of money from Gajendra to dispose of the property, Ratan presented Smita with his evidence, which included call records, inconsistencies in her clothing, and her cell location. Smita and her gardener devised a desperate plan to eliminate the individual who could potentially expose her. She applied a highly concentrated, toxic floral extract around the margins of the property documents that she was required to sign. Unaware of the trap he had fallen into, Ratan paralysed himself by salivating with his fingers as he turned the pages. Assuming he was dead, Smita and her gardener dumped his corpse into a river. Nevertheless, the film's epilogue reveals Ratan as being alive, albeit in a crippled but conscious state, and hospitalises him. His coworker, who happens to be Diya's brother, knows all about Smita's history, which could lead to a sequel in which Ratan gets even.

The meeting of the two times is the ending's most important component. In front of the same group of women who had previously passed judgement on Smita, Kavita (Apte) recounts her tragic history during Diya's party.

Cycle of revenge

The grand finale unequivocally demonstrates that Kavita is indeed Smita, who successfully escaped the double murder, sold her property, and adopted a new identity after meeting her current husband, Vicky, on a train to Delhi.

The story is a terrifying passive-aggressive warning for Vicky, whom Kavita saw at the party having an intimate moment with another woman. The reappearance of her gardener with the same toxic flowers proves that Smita's deadly cycle of revenge-based self-preservation is a persistent danger. The final message is dark – for Smita, justice was found only in her own hands, securing her freedom and independence at a lethal cost.

Saali Mohabbat is now streaming on ZEE5 (OTTplay Premium).

Saali Mohabbat FAQs:

Q: Is Saali Mohabbat based on a true story?

A: Yes. Saali Mohabbat is reportedly inspired by the real-life Geeta Colony double murder case in Delhi. However, the film adapts the incident into a fictional narrative centered around a housewife, Smita, in the small, quiet town of Fursatgarh.

Q: Who are the main cast members of Saali Mohabbat?

A: The main cast includes Radhika Apte as Smita (and Kavita), Divyenndu Sharma as Inspector Ratan Pandit, Anshumaan Pushkar as Pankaj (Smita's husband), Sauraseni Maitra as Shalini (Smita's cousin), and Anurag Kashyap as Gajendra Bhaiya (the local gangster).

Q: Where can I watch Saali Mohabbat?

A: Saali Mohabbat is a ZEE5 Original film and is available for streaming directly on ZEE5 (OTTplay Premium).