Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota Movie Review- A quirky and hilarious film

Director: Vasan Bala

Cast: Abhimanyu Dassani, Radhika Madan, Gulshan Devaiah, Mahesh Manjrekar

Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota is an artsy comedy which is admittedly palatable only for few people but those who like it will revel in its quirky humour and little moments of magic. As a piece of cinema this movie is extraordinary but has one fatal flaw- it lacks the ability to please the general public. The movie revolves around Surya, a boy who has a rare disease where he can’t feel pain so he doesn’t know what a punch or a scratch feel like. This disease makes him sort of an outlandish superhero and that is the story told through this movie. You can think of the movie as a sort of superhero origin story, but don’t go in expecting capes and marvel like superheroes.

Firstly, the acting performances in the movie are just the right amount of funny and heartfelt. Surya played by Abhimanyu Dasani who in his debut makes a great impression. His action sequences are well executed and he embodies the childish and clueless Surya perfectly, he never makes Surya seem stupid or un-relatable. Radhika Madan as Supri will make you feel sympathy for her while making you laugh. Supri is the first female character in Bollywood who beats up about 20 guys at once, the best part however is that her gender never becomes her defining character trait. Gulshan Devaiah in his double role switches into and out of the “cliche villain” and master role effectively. The quirkiness in the movie makes the villain hilarious and slightly scary at the same time and this is played out nicely by Devaiah. Even Surya’s grandfather is memorable with crackling dialogue and a beard I will never forget.

The background score infused humour into the dullest of moments. The soundtrack for the romantic scenes added a certain awkwardness which was extremely funny to witness on screen. The songs in the movie are also odes to old movie songs, although being from the newer generation I was unable to catch many references the ones I did understand added reliability into the movie. Other than the background score the whole movie is filled with moments alluding to another movie- may it by Kung Fu Panda or Karate Kid. The movie is loaded with references to movies but its okay if you are not well versed with these movies, I wasn’t and enjoyed the film just as much. If you are try and spot as many references as possible because trust me there are many.

What I really appreciated in the movie was its imagination, it allows for absurd scenes to fit right into the world created by director Vasan Bala. The final sequence is ludicrous but for all the right reasons. Bala creates a mad house of sorts where none of his characters think straight and act normally. The movie is filled with Bala’s love and affection and it is evident right from the opening sequence. There is no last minute wrapping of ends here everything is well thought out and purposely made to be personal and energetic. Bala is extremely intelligent he purposefully appoints tropes like a childish hero, a wise grandfather, a spunky heroine, and twin brothers. All of these work in harmony with the occasional and self aware breaking of the fourth wall which happens quite rarely in cinema.

The aspect which I loved the most about this superhero film is that it isn’t set in a distant land which is unattainable and unreachable. It is set in Mumbai, its grimy and wet but still the perfect location with ageing buildings and memorable characters. The voiceover in the movie is also well employed. What you can appreciate the most in this movie is the directors vision and eccentricity which is evident throughout the movie and it is inspiring to watch.

However, this movie is not without its own fall backs. Mard Ko Dard Nahi Kota overuses its slow motion and draws out the beginning action sequences. They get boring and slightly annoying. Seeing peoples hair flying in slow motion can only be humorous for a while. Another problem is that the movie flirts with the idea of delivering a social message with Supri’s entry sequence but soon shies away from talking about a social message.

I strongly recommend this movie, but go with an open mind. Just a warning that although I seemed to enjoy this movie throughly a few did not quite like the style of storytelling and revel in the lunacy. The beginning may confuse you and it will test you patience at points but hang in there and pay attention to the small moments like a security guard purposefully shutting his eyes to not fight or a conversation about “Khujli” or itching. The movie will leave you with a smile by the time it is over. It is a fine piece of cinema and I’m going with 3 and a half stars.