Here is a daringly dark movie by the director Vishal Bharadwaj who has given us dark tragedies like Maqbool, Omkara. This one like his earlier movie Blue Umbrella is an adaptation of a Ruskin Bond story 'Susanna's Seven Husbands' but while the earlier one was a simple tale this one is very complex psychology that has to be deciphered through the characters that come across.Acted really well by most actors that took part, specifically by Priyanka Chopra holding the limelight this film needs applause only for the gut of the director to pick a story in which there is one murder after another and mostly it's predictable and try to make it as a compelling one. (He tried only, did he succeed, is still a question, nevertheless he tried).You know the end result it shall be a murder of husband's by a woman because they are not nice to her and in what way makes the only difference. Surely at interval, most would have left the theatre coz you seem to know everything that shall happen. But I watched completely in one go and was pretty satisfied at the end.I can appreciate the attempt but yes, this story was far more predictable than thought of. A movie that can be watched surely but just for once. Rating: 2/5

Every once in a while one comes across a movie where everything seems to be perfect yet the final outcome doesn't come through as it should. Saat Khoon Maaf falls under that category..good techniques , haunting ambiance , good cinematography and excellent acting and yet the end result leaves you wanting for something better.By now everyone knows that the movie is about the character Sussana killing her husbands. The biggest flaw for me was the way the character was portrayed. Some viewers enjoy having a detailed and concrete rationale behind why someone kills...but to me a psychological thriller has a heightened sense of unpredictability when there is no explanation provided as to why someone would kill...Agatha Christie had it , Hitchcock nailed it too.. ..Sussana kills because she kills - no reasons no justifications hence no predictability. This is where Bharadwaj goes wrong according to me. The movie gets bogged down by routine and predictability...By the third murder you know how it goes and even where it goes. Bharadwaj also provides a half baked explanation of the character which doesn't make much sense. Why did she not leave any of her husbands when she had the chance to? Because she keeps snakes as her pets? Because she kills stray dogs? Because her staff has a macabre and lopsided sense of justice ?Really? Dark visuals and moments will just go this far...then the storyline and execution has to take over...I felt nothing for Sussana - neither scared, nor sympathetic nor annoyed.. Priyanka Chopra did her best in whatever the director asked her to do but somewhere it did not quite work out...The same with the other characters in the movie...Neil Nitin Mukesh had the most chilling effect of all and he did excellent justice to the role..John Abraham was a surprise too...But in the end I was expecting something that never came....

It's not often you see a Bollywood movie rated on IMDb at 6.8. Now, although that is perilously close to my bare-minimum-for-watchability boundary, for Bollywood I made the exception – and I was glad I did! This altogether dark and mysterious movie of a desperate woman and her fatally unsatisfactory love affairs is both clever and non-repetitive keeping the viewer hooked whilst retaining a sweetness that only Priyanka Chopra can bring. I'm sure there's a Hollywood counterpart somewhere, but I'm well prepared to look past that (not to say I no longer trust Bollywood to be original anymore).The story starts with a shocker (one you can almost overlook) and the inclination that this will be a forensic style murder mystery movie, but after a rather innocent introduction to the character of Vivaan Shah (Arun Kumar) the movie has its first twist, becoming a story-telling movie about Arun Shah's first love instead. Priyanka Chopra's character from the outset is shown as a dark and mysterious, unhappy, love craving hyena destined to always be dressed in black (and play with snakes) – a role Priyanka played flawlessly – and chronologically tells the story of 6 husbands who initially promised eternal love but after marriage bloomed a fatal flaw, each swiftly dealt with, with the help of her trusty servants.Essentially the story revolves around one house and its participants, yet Vishal Bhardwaj manages to somehow cleverly squeeze 6 original murders into- and around it – proving that there is more than one way to skin a cat. All the supporting males are fantastic and very well cast, some hailed as giving the best performances of their career. The music is brilliant – from the ponging cheese of "O mama" (and the religious version "O matha!") to the catchiness of Doosri Darling to the romantic epic of Awaara, all giving the viewer the pick and mix variety without the sick aftertaste. A couple of negatives, but by no means deal breakers: 1) the story seems a little slow to start with, seeing the deaths of most of the husbands in the last hour or so. 2) I failed to see where the comedy was – I definitely didn't have any laugh-out-loud moments. 3) This movie doesn't show Indian forensics in a good light, getting the facial recognition stuff HORRIBLY and unconvincingly wrong.I'm not going to go through the 6 murders, that's for you to watch and enjoy. But, isn't the film called saat (7) Khoon Maaf? Again, a mystery you must watch to find out, although I will say the seventh fashions for a very fitting and crafty ending altogether making you once again side with the murderer. Overall a very clever, dark, multi-layered movie with a sprinkling of Priyanka's unique sweetness making this experience perfect for the movie goer's palate.

Very few names in the Indian film industry command a stature where the name says it all, and Vishal Bhardwaj tops the list! 7 Khoon Maaf is another trademark VB movie which comes with solidly written characters, brilliant performances and a well executed no nonsense direction. If there is one thing you can expect from a VB movie then it would be a STORY and a story told well.While VB draws upon already existing, and sometimes famous written works (If you haven't, then stop reading this and watch Omkara), he has the ability to make it original with his definition of the characters and ability to draw breathtaking performances from his actors. Sussana is another elevation for Priyanka Chopra post Fashion and Kaminey but if you pay attention to easily negotiable characters, the performances of Goonga and Ghalib will leave you speechless and speak volumes about the commitment of VB. Of all the cameos, Neil Nitin Mukesh steals the show and Annu Kapoor probably gave his best performance post Guldasta in Tezaab. Needless to mention the guy (VB) writes, produces, directs and does music for the film yet again which gives him the control and room for creating an impact.If you are a VB fan then you suffer from the same expectation trigger that sets in even before watching the movie. And for this reason the story doesn't keep you on the edge all the time and there are stretched moments, including the song in the end. All said and done 7 is the most appropriate rating for a movie worth a watch.