Everyone has a dark side but when a person goes all out in executing his innermost devilish fantasies, it’s high time he’s thwarted. Mohit Suri’s Ek Villain is a tale of one such ‘villain’ and the havoc that he unleashes in his and the lives of others. Loosely inspired from the Korean film I Saw The Devil, Ek Villain rests on a brilliant premise and is laced with bravura performances. Sadly, the film falters at some places, preventing it from becoming a classic!

The story of the movie: Guru (Sidharth Malhotra) lives in Goa and works for the underworld don Caesar (Remo Fernandes). He has a violent and disturbing past because of which he has turned ruthless and a no-nonsense person. A chance encounter with the chirpy Aisha (Sidharth Malhotra) makes him realize the importance of love and happiness in life. On the other hand, Rajesh (Riteish Deshmukh), based in Mumbai, is lonely and unhappy. He is ridiculed at work for not performing upto the mark and at home, it’s his wife Sulochana (Aamna Sharif) who leaves no opportunity to insult and hurl abuses at him. All the frustration leads Rajesh to turn into a devil and this also brings him in the bad books of Guru.



3 years ago, Mohit Suri came up with the racy thriller Murder 2 that was also based on a menacing serial killer. Ek Villain however is set in a different world and hence it doesn’t give one a déjà vu of Murder 2. The three main characters are very well sketched and presented, especially Rakesh. One has never seen such a villain ever before in Bollywood! Few scenes are exceptional – watch out for Rakesh conversing with his victims, the intermission point, the scene in the hospital and of course, the climax. On the flipside, the love story has it’s moments but it fails to make an all-round impact. One doesn’t empathize much with the protagonists. Maybe, it’s because the romantic track seemed rushed. In a way, it’s good but one wishes Mohit had spent more time on the romance, the way he did in Aashiqui 2 where he allowed the love story to grow and progress organically. Secondly, the film drags in the middle of the second half. The ‘Awari’ track serves no purpose in the story. And Kamaal R Khan’s character stands out like a sore thumb in the film! Even the characters of Shaad Randhawa and Remo Fernandes aren’t upto the mark.

Although Riteish Deshmukh takes the cake, Sidharth Malhotra and Shraddha Kapoor too put their best foot forward. Sidharth Malhotra looks dashing as always and performance wise, he’s absolutely first-rate. Since he never got a chance to play such a character before in his first 2 films, there are sequences where Sidharth will catch one by complete surprise, particularly in his entry scene. Shraddha Kapoor’s character gets on to one’s nerves initially (thanks to her jokes) but later one, she puts up an adorable and cute act which will loved by the viewers. She proved her worth with Aashiqui 2 and with Ek Villain, she confirms that she’s one of the best talents around and here to stay! Riteish Deshmukh is a revelation! This is the first time that he has played a negative character and he just kills it, literally! In fact, one forgets that he’s the same Riteish who has appeared in numerous sex comedies and who is known for his comic timing. He totally gets into his character and puts up a really impressive show! Hats off and hope he continues to surprise us in his forthcoming films as well!



Kamaal R Khan (Brijesh) is irritating. Shaad Randhawa (CBI officer Aditya Rathod) is strictly okay. His performance is not at fault, it’s his character and the dialogues that could had been better. Remo Fernandes looks every inch a Goan underworld don and does fine. Again, the filmy dialogues given to him takes away the charm of his character. Aamna Sharif is superb and leaves a huge mark. Asif Basra (Aisha’s father) is too good. Same goes for Rishina Khandare (the nurse in the hospital). Aradhana Uppal (Aisha’s doctor), Praveena Deshpande (Dipu’s mother) and others do well. Prachi Desai looks smoking hot.

Music is one of the strengths of the film (and a huge reason why Ek Villain is a hot film) and the songs are well shot and incorporated in the film. Banjaara and Galliyan are undoubtedly the best songs of the lot. Awari is an exception as it didn’t serve any purpose in the story. Raju Singh’s background score is lovely in the light, romantic scenes and equally menacing in the thrilling sequences. Vishnu Rao’s cinematography is top-notch and watch out for the lensman’s master stroke in the scene where Caesar’s goons attack Guru. Outstanding work! Javed-Aejaz’ action works well, mostly because it isn’t over the top. Sets are appealing and very real. Milap Zaveri, known for his work in comic films, does an outstanding work as the dialogue writer in this film. Especially the dialogues that he has written for Rakesh’s character are acidic and very sharp. Kudos! Story (Tushar Hiranandani) is quite brilliant without doubt but screenplay could have been better, especially in the romantic portions. Mohit Suri’s direction is decent and he has executed some sequences exceptionally. But on the other hand, the characters of Caesar, Brijesh and Aditya didn’t make the desired impact. Also, one fails to understand why Mohit didn’t show the pothole when it served an important part in the story. Same goes with dancing peacocks - showing them in a long shot didn’t make any impact! Thankfully, these are minor glitches and overall, it’s a great work by Mohit Suri and hope he keeps entertaining us with his brand of cinema!

Some of the best scenes:
1. Guru’s entry
2. Guru in the mental asylum
3. The song Banjaara and Galliyan
4. Guru attacked by Caesar’s men
5. All scenes of Rakesh
6. The intermission point
7. The scene at the railway station in Goa
8. Drama in hospital
9. The climax

On the whole, Ek Villain is a well-made thriller but not exactly a great love story. The romantic portions seemed a bit rushed while the supporting characters fail to contribute much to the storyline. On the positive side, the soulful songs are well incorporated in the narrative while Sidharth Malhotra and Shraddha Kapoor are brilliant. And Riteish Deshmukh is the best thing about the film and he’ll surely be loved in his first ever negative role! Go for it!

My rating-*** out of 5!