Neo-noir crime comedy thriller doesn’t get any better than Monica, O My Darling

I remember watching the trailer of Monica, O My Darling and immediately thinking to myself that if it's helmed by Vasan Bala, I have to watch it. Why, you ask, because the man had given the world of cinema and a cinephile like me a madness masterclass in Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota. And as the credits rolled last night after Monica came to an end, I couldn’t help but smile and thank Bala in my mind for yet another film where there is a method to the madness that will delight you throughout. 

This dark comedy, which makes you want to give absurdity one tight hug, is a murder mystery that pays a fitting tribute to the crime thrillers of the 60s such as Johnny Mera Naam, Jewel Thief, and Teesri Manzil. Just like this terrific trio of movies, Monica, O My Darling is a murder mystery that gets better and better with every passing second. 

And there are multiple reasons for this. To begin with, the fantastic background score by Achint Thakkar. Remember the title track of Scam 1992 that you just couldn’t stop listening to? Thakkar’s the guy (also the man behind the score of Rocket Boys). Rest assured that you’ll want to hear these songs long after the film is done. Each of them is an absolute banger—'Ye Ek Zindagi' is as retro as retro can get, while 'Love You So Much–I Want To Kill You' (yup, that’s the name of the song), and 'Bye Bye Adios' are two tracks with commendable cinematography. But the one that takes the cake is 'Farsh Pe Khade'. If you ever wanted to know how a ghazal can make you laugh as you watch a man fall from the terrace, you will find your answer here. 

The reason Monica, O My Darling is a masterclass is that it has an excellent teacher (Bala) and its students are a talented bunch who understood the assignment to perfection. Sikander Kher is on fire as Nishikant, the entitled son of the boss and is a scene-stealer, and so is Akansha Ranjan Kapoor as Nikki, his sister. Another actor who had me in splits was Bagavathi Perumal as Arvind Manivannan, the head of the accounts department at the Unicorn Group of Companies, which is under the public eye due to several murders taking place. As far as the trio of Rajkummar Rao, Radhika Apte, and Huma Qureshi is concerned, Rao as the robotics expert Jayant Arkhedkar, is excellent as he finds himself sinking into a rabbit hole and must adapt to the situation displaying a wide range of emotions. Qureshi plays the titular character Monica Macchado, the sexy secretary who’s soon to become a mother, but will leave you wondering throughout the film as to who is the father. She’s got everyone in the company on a very tight leash and you’ll never know what she has up her sleeve. But the one who’s having an absolute ball in Monica, O My Darling is Radhika Apte as the whacky cop ACP Naidu. She’s got the best line of the film if you ask me - 'Kabhi bhi backstory ko perfect nahi rakhne ka. Jitna perfect story utna jyaada doubt. Story ko dheel dene ka. Feeling ke saath.' (The story needs to be left a little loose, it shouldn't be held onto too tightly). 

Despite the audience knowing who might be behind the killings, it doesn’t take rocket science (or in this case robot science) to find out, the fun part is that none of the characters has a clue in the slightest. Watching the hunter become the hunted never felt any bas a more intriguing as an audience. 

We certainly need to see more of Vasan Bala. And Monica, O My Darling is definitely a movie that you should watch. Also, do yourself a favour and watch Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota while you are at it . Let your weekend have a double dose of the whacky work of Vasan Bala. 

Monica, O My Darling is now streaming on Netflix.