Forensic Movie Review: Vikrant Massey-Radhika Apte's Whodunit Thriller Fails To Leave A Mark

Story

Forensic begins on a creepy note where a birthday celebration is followed by the reveal of an abusive parent. The disturbed kid drowns a cat in a drum filled with water and tiptoes to a room with a sinister motive.

The next sequence introduces us to forensic officer Johnny Khanna (Vikrant Massey) who sings rhymes and even moonwalks at crime scenes. On the other hand, sub-inspector Megha Sharma (Radhika Apte) is assigned to investigate the missing case of a school girl. Soon, her dead body is discovered by a local in a trash pile.

Even before Megha can wrap her head around the crime, the hilly town is rocked by young girls disappearing one by one on their birthdays. Eventually, she realises that there's more than meets the eye when she is joined by forensic officer Johnny Khanna (Vikrant Massey), with whom she shares a history. With the help of Johnny's forensic findings, the duo make a shocking discovery. Will this 'birthday serial killer' get away with the gruesome crimes?

Direction

Director Vishal Furia deserves brownie points for not blatantly remaking the original source material, Tovino Thomas-Mamta Mohandas' Forensic frame-by-frame. While the 2020 Malayalam film had a urban set-up, Furia chooses the hilly town of Mussoorie as the backdrop for his whodunit mystery. If you have watched Tovino's Forensic, then there are hardly any surprises for you in this Hindi adaptation.

A little more sneak-peek inside the forensic lab would have made the screenplay more interesting. Further, the addition of a romantic sub-plot dilutes the intensity of the narrative. Amid mutilated dead bodies, serial killers and evidences, the director tries to squeeze in some romance between the lead pair whose chemistry barely oozes any spark.

Forensic keeps you hooked in parts and pieces until Furia makes the big reveal, which is probably one of the most outlandish twists I have seen in recent times. It makes you wonder what the writers were thinking when they cooked this idea. In forensic linguistics, this third act contaminates the entire setup and reduces Forensic into a silly film.

Also, did we tell you that Dr Salunkhe from the popular crime TV series CID finds his way into the narrative as Johnny's 'forensic' guru Dr Solanki?

Performances

Vikrant Massey as the cheeky forensic officer seems to be having fun with his character and sinks his teeth deep into it. He pulls it off even when the writing disappoints. Radhika Apte gets to don the uniform again and delivers what's expected out of her. Prachi Desai as the child psychiatrist delivers a yorker. Vindu Dara Singh has nothing substantial to offer. Ronit Roy deserved a better-written role.

Technical Aspects

Vishal Furia fails to pay attention to a few minute technical details in the film. Anshul Chaubey's camerawork doesn't lend any tension in the storytelling. The movie also falters in the editing department.

Music

The songs in the film are forgettable. Also, the background score is a damp squib and barely makes you hold your breath.

Verdict

In Vishal Furia's psychological thriller, the serial killer hypnotizes young girls with the snap of a finger. How I wish that I could do the same to erase the memory of the film's third act which is as mind-bendingly silly as Johnny's nursery rhymes!