Mittal v/s Mittal Review

What is it all about?

`Mittal v/s Mittal' is a manufactured and staid drama that only trivializes the social illness of domestic violence within this seemingly stable household. Basically, sensationalizing spousal misconduct for frenetic dramatical purposes feels pathetically unctuous. And besides that, the film doesn't even jump at the opportunity to present itself as either a suitable social commentary or unintentionally campy observation. If anything, the movie serves only as an excuse to sugarcoat the perils of a beautiful wife being battered by her husband and all of a sudden she miraculously discovers her feminist fiber in the miraculous ability to fight back.

Karan Razdan's attempt to introduce Rituparna Sengupta as the latest model in this female star vehicle is hardly provocative and doesn't posses enough material to generate strong emotional response. An utterly average movie that fails to register any women appeal.

The Story...of course

Mitali (Rituparno), a successful model meets Karan (Rohit Roy) the Mittal scion, the heir to one of the richest families in the country. Accustomed to getting what he wants in life, Karan lands up at Mitali's home with his parents with a marriage proposal. Delighted at their daughter's luck, Mitali's family approved of the match. And Mitali entered Karan's home and life as his newly-wedded bride.

Karan has a certain pattern of dealing with women and wanted to subdue Mitali's independent streak. He who appeared to be a loving, doting husband was in fact a violent monster at night within the privacy of their bedroom. Unable to bear the humiliation and pain after she resisted his advances and is raped by him, Mitali decided to take charge of her life. She decided to fight back.

Mitali walks out of her in-laws home, hires a lawyer and files case against her husband.

What to look out for?

Technicalities are fine and production values apt.

Performances are decent

What not?

 To a certain degree, some guilty pleasures make for some downright good cinema courtesy of the way some filmmakers exploit their celluloid products. But then again there's the flip side to this notion where lending an exploitative hand doesn't necessary mean inviting a good time at the movies. This can be said for director Karan Razdan's dull domestic drama `Mittalv/s Mittal'.

As the different posters of the movie read different tagline, after watching Razdan's (who still has to make his mark as a helmer) feeble dedication to spousal abuse, the movie ends up as a hastily conceived material for prime time television slot.

Had the writer and the helmer bothered to take its time and add more psychological build-up to the husband finely played by Rohit Roy ugly Prince Charming nature then the wife's reaction would have garnered more sympathy and pathos.

Right from the start the characters and situations are not convincing, Rituparna (does a good job) plays a model and Rohit Roy a successful businessman, they meet get attracted (on what grounds not explained) and why it takes so much of time for her a react is a mystery.

The court room drama lacks bite and shockingly, the movie which by its posters appears something on domestic violence that promises layers but episodes like the RKB show, the courtroom proceedings, the unknown caller thingy gives it an altogether different colour and the movie loses its medium and ends up in another genre.

Conclusion: `Mittal v/s Mittal is a mockery of a socially relevant issue of domestic violence, wait for its DTH premier if you really want to.

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