Ek Villain Returns review: This ‘Villain’ haunts audience

Hyderabad: Having sashed hate into the common man’s drawing room, Daughter and Mamma Kapoor now spread hate and violence on the big screen with co-conspirator Mohit Suri who reveals in celebrating negativity. Yet another two and half hours of meaningless killing shattering glass and stylised murders occupy screen time and space giving us a clear picture on depraved man and his worst.

Spoilt brat Gautham Mehra (Arjun Kapoor) is the typical rich Dad’s gift to society – he would gatecrash into a wedding party, create a ruckus, even smooch the bride and then leave as if he just had walked in for dinner, and having accomplished the common place activity, can move on.

Even as Pappa and his corporate associates have paid up all and sundry for the mess, a gal at the party gives it the unneeded publicity on her social media account. Thus begins the relationship between Gautham and crooner Aaravi (Tara Sutaria).

Even before you can say Gautham and Aaravi, they are in a relationship and are mucking up with the career of another singer Qiran (Elena Roxana). However, this is not a relationship for keeps and thus the principle of the Roman Emperor – veni vidi vici – is employed and Gautham moves on much to the chagrin of the crooning victim who has some baggage of legitimacy.

Move on to Bhairav Purohit (John Abraham), a taxi driver who falls in love with the gal in the departmental store Rasika (Disha Patni) and woos her with the constant morose expression now patented by him. Things however do not go as planned and she ditches him.

Here begins the tale of vendetta and the audience is required to keep suspecting Gautham when the Returned Villain is at large killing victims who have jilted their guys and moved on to greener pastures. OK. So Mohit Suri would want to tell us about a serial killer who chooses gals as his victims who have cheated on the guys who loved them and one such victim is Aaravi who he thinks is responsible for the break up .

All this takes blood, bed, sex smooch strip and endless mix of narratives from the past to the present from crime to investigation, from romance to hate and punctuated by some signature Mohit Suri school of music.

So bad is this outing that even the earlier edition of the movie shines in compare. Truly this cannot be a product of proper thinking and good film craft. John Abraham as the central character is as ever consistent with the one expression that he has always on his face. Wonder if the facial muscles don’t get tired in the same position eternally. Arjun Kapoor tries hard and is often more unkept and under prepared that a hunk from the rich Papa backdrop. The two gals – are an apology. Masquerading, in short panties in the name of hot pants they look similar – confusingly similar dress up and act like Barbie dolls and miss the point .