HUNTERRR(2015)

Hunterrr is an eccentric film about an eccentric guy who spends the duration of the film trying to satisfy his insatiable lust for the woman form but by the time we reach the climax, he inevitably gives in to the fangs of family life and therein lies the “been there”, “seen it before” characteristic of the film which ultimately makes it a less than satisfying experience. Propelled by fantastic performances by the whole ensemble cast of characters, Hunterrr still fails to take off primarily because of the less than satisfactory writing. The film had the potential to go places but it ends up being only marginally entertaining that too only because of the sensational acting and some real close to the life sequences which extracts some genuine laughs.

The story revolves around Mandar (Gulshan Devaiya), a man who has an insatiable lust for bedding women. His friends call him “vasu” (short for “vasna” which in turns means uncontrolled emotions). Mandar has been at it since childhood. He also has no problems in dumping his girlfriend just to be able to be cozy with a married woman. He is also shown watching porn as a child in a local cinema and then has his head half shaved by the police just to make a picture of him. He is not embarrassed but feels like a hero and boasts about it with his friends.

As he matures into a man, he starts feeling the pinch of not being able to go steady with someone as his near and dear friend gets married and he is still left “vasu”. He decides to try his hand at arranged marriage and it is at this time he comes face to face with Trupti (Radhika Apte). The Hunterrr for once now becomes the hunted. She is not exactly a “arrange marriage material” as she has had multiple flings and a few serious relations. But Mandar, with the intention of wooing her, ends up lying to her about his “vasugiri” traits and now he has to pose as a guy that he isn’t.

The three periods of Mandar’s life and his association with his friends unfolds simultaneously using date prints and different looks of Mandar as the distinguishing factor. IT works well because of the wonderful performance that Gulshan comes out with. The film remains effective and interesting till the interval and from here on it starts going downhill. The major problem is with the fact that the second half doesn’t have anything new to offer over what we had already seen in the first half. Infact the first half presents us with the character of Jyotsna (Sai Tamhankar), the feisty married lady who keeps Mandar fixed on her until her husband finds out about them. She is irresistibly charming and makes you ask for more.

But the second half abruptly ends her character leaving you sore. The situation develops between Trupti and Mandar but it also takes the known path not doing anything novel to extract some genuine emotions or laughs for that matter. The track involving Mandar’s aunt who he is suppose to receive from the airport also fizzle out without any fireworks. There are prolonged periods in the film when the narrative becomes drab and plain boring and you as the audience make it through these parts thanks to the wonderful performances by the cast which also brings me to Radhika Apte. She has really made a strong impression with this role which demanded a lot of maturity and flair. She was noticeable in Badlapur but here she literally commands the screen wherever she appears.

To sum it up, Hunterrr is sparingly entertaining. There are scenes which will really make you smile but they are few and far apart. The acting is terrific and is only saving grace of the film. This film is a horrendous vehicle to have made use of such potent talents and has really undone the actors with some lackluster writing and insipid treatment. Hunterrr is a film which can be easily missed but if you are looking for a raunchy “vasu” comedy then you might just give it a try. But don’t expect too much.