After its makers successfully managing to remain tight-lipped to keep the thrill and excitement quotient at highest levels, Ek Villain opened to full houses. (I can say this after experiencing one of the biggest crowds I saw for a Bollywood film only recently!)
Despite the film being a rip-off of a Korean blockbuster, and giving out the plot in the first fifteen minutes, the film is credited for keeping the interests aroused. Mohit Suri manages to Indianise the script adding his own dose of romance, drama…and melodrama! The love story of a gangster-turned-good body Guru and a chatterbox effervescent Aisha, and a serial-killer Rakesh on the run… After the suspense being revealed too early in the film, it begins to flip-flop between present day and flashbacks.
Sidharth Malhotra is way too soft to look a hot-headed assassin.
Blame it on his good looks! When he is silent, he is acceptable. But when he speaks, we yearn for the roughness in his voice too.
Shraddha Kapoor has graduated from her ‘Aashiqui’ days. She remains a breath of fresh air whenever she appears onscreen .
Only if her jokes were a little more sensible and not the decade back mobile forwards, and we got to know her actual illness and the logic behind it!
But the hero of Ek Villain was undoubtedly Riteish Deshmukh. I’m happy to see him coming out of his side-hero comic mould. I always knew he had more to those eyes, and how! (Confession- he was the main 
reason I decided to watch the film!)
He outshines as a middle-class man who vents out his anger over his nagging wife on other women. He comes across as a frustrated victim when he is at the mercy of his wife, but turns ruthless and gruesome when he is at work! His eyes are dead but they emote like nobody else’s. Whatever said for him will be less. I hope to see him in similar characters henceforth.
Remo Fernandes and KRK were utter waste! Shaad Randhawa remained a silly police officer who talked in (stupid) poetry while on duty!!
The juggling between past and present is seamless. The romantic angle saved the plot wherever it got shaky. But a little too much of Bollywood tadka to this thriller ruined it at places too. There were times we expected an edge-of-the-seat suspense. But all we got was long dialogues and over-emotional sequences. No doubt, certain scenes do moisten your eyes. But thats about it!
Mohit Suri did manage to make sense out of this adaptation, and keep his audience satisfied in whatever he served. But his over ambition to add that extra drama to this suspense, back-fired. If only the thrill was its highest point of reference… Nevertheless among all the buffet served on Bollywood’s weekend platter this year so far, Ek Villain does provide a decent appetite. Watch it for some great performances, a satisfactory direction and some beautiful music tracks… Ek Villain’s hero is its experimentation and risk at turning our good boys, bad!
I say...... 