Ek Villain Returns Review {4.0/5} & Review Rating

EK VILLAIN RETURNS is the story of a killer on the loose. Gautam Mehra (Arjun Kapoor) is the son of Mehra (Bharat Dabholkar). He is brash and creates a scene at the wedding of his ex-girlfriend. A video of him beating up guests and security guards goes viral. An upcoming singer, Aarvi Malhotra (Tara Sutaria) uses bits from this video to create a parodical song. It goes viral. Gautam meets her at the Revel Music Festival. A famous singer Qiran (Elena Roxana Maria Fernandes) is all set to perform on multiple days at the festival. Aarvi expresses a desire to perform at the festival instead of her. Gautam uses his wit and wickedness to get Qiran out and replace her with Aarvi. This helps Aarvi to further get famous. She falls in love with Gautam.

Things take a turn when Gautam backstabs her and leaves as he wanted revenge for using his video clip to get fame. Six months later, Aarvi is having a house party when a killer arrives and takes her away while injuring or killing the rest of the guests. A video from the scene of the crime shows Aarvi addressing the killer as Gautam. The cops conclude that Gautam is the culprit. However, ACP V K Ganesan (J D Chakravarthy) has his doubts. He rounds up several suspects, one of which is Bhairav Purohit (John Abraham), a cabbie. He’s a mysterious character, deeply in love with Rasika Mapuskar (Disha Patani). What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Mohit Suri and Aseem Arora’s story is intriguing and like the first time, promises a healthy dose of romance, heartbreak and violence. Mohit Suri and Aseem Arora’s screenplay is tight. The film has two tracks, each of the two lovers, and it runs parallel and also intersects neatly. In the first half, however, it gets confusing in several places. Aseem Arora’s dialogues enhance the massy quotient of the film.

Mohit Suri’s direction is splendid. It is very evident that he has evolved as a storyteller and this can be seen in his narrative style and treatment. A film like this is not easy to handle. Firstly, one needs to give equal prominence to both tracks. Secondly, the characters lack morals. Everyone in the film is wicked. To relate to such a film is not everyone’s cup of tea. Yet, Mohit Suri manages to give the film a very mainstream touch. On the flipside, the first half may leave several viewers puzzled. Also, the way the narrative moves back and forth can add to the confusion for a section of moviegoers.

EK VILLAIN RETURNS begins on a rocking note. In fact, viewers shouldn’t miss the beginning at any cost. The music festival sequence is over the top, especially the way Gautam gets Qiran out of the picture. Bhairav’s track starts late but once it does, it adds to the overall mystery of the film.

There’s a fight sequence on a metro train that is worth a watch and uber-thrilling. The intermission point is a huge shocker. Post-interval, things get clearer, especially with the flashback sequence. The finale fight is fun but what adds to the madness is the suspense. Most viewers won’t see it coming. And if you think that’s all, you are mistaken as the final scene will leave you excited.

Naa Tere Bin – Ek Villain Returns | John Abraham, Disha Patani

Speaking of the performances, John Abraham appears a bit stiff in the initial scenes. However, he gets better as the film progresses. In the second half, he plays his part with ease. Arjun Kapoor looks dashing and the director has presented him in a mass-pleasing way. His performance is also quite good. Disha Patani looks wonderful and performance wise, she has gotten quite better. Tara Sutaria is much better than her act in her last film, HEROPANTI 2 [2022]. She leaves a mark majorly in the first half and the scene outside the hospital in the second half. J D Chakravarthy is a bit over the top. Shaad Randhawa (Inspector Rathore) doesn’t get much scope to perform. Bharat Dabholkar (Gautam’s father), Elena Roxana Maria Fernandes, Shivani Tuli (Aarvi’s friend Rubina), Karishma Sharma (Gautam’s ex-girlfriend, Siya), Prasad Jawade (Ashu) and Digvijay Rohidas (Bhairav’s friend Keshav) are fine.

The music of the film is decent. ‘Galliyan Returns’ is the best of the lot, also due to the picturization. ‘Dil’ comes next followed by ‘Shaamat’ and ‘Naa Tere Bin’. Raju Singh’s background score is arresting and heightens the impact.

Vikas Sivaraman’s cinematography is splendid. A lot of shots are captured creatively and it adds to the impact. Rajat Poddar’s production design is cinematic. Aejaz Gulab’s action is a bit gory but not disturbing. Ayesha Dasgupta’s costumes are glamorous and the ones worn by Disha Patani are memorable. Unifi Media’s VFX is first-rate. Devendra Murdeshwar’s editing is sharp.

On the whole, EK VILLAIN RETURNS is a perfect amalgamation of supreme music, amazing visuals, thrilling moments, and strong franchise value. At the box office, it can surprise, especially in the mass centres and emerge as a huge success.