If you go to watch Main Aur Charles to unravel the man the word once knew as the sexiest killer, then you will be disappointed. The film makes no such attempt to make you understand who Charles actually was or is- you need to get all the background info all by yourself.
But, Main and Charles is sexy, suave, classy and elegant for Randeep Hooda all the way! Through the 123 minute duration of the film the sex appeal just oozes out from every pore of his being and I actually wonder if Charles Shobraj in reality was the kind of bugger, Randeep portrays.
The film actually begins with a bikini-clad babe washed up on the beaches of Thailand (hence the nick name Charles in reality earned, ‘bikini-killer’) and subsequently follows Charles’ flight into India, his subsequent arrest, escape from Tihar and re-arrest.
Well, let’s talk of the plot- it’s not all that difficult to identify the loosely constructed story and plot of the film which falls really, really flat- one of the fatal flaws of the film. There are far too many flashbacks, asides, characters and women dropping their lingerie for Charles.
From Thailand to India, the seductive man was like a loose cannon on foreign tourists who he preyed upon, stole from, had plenty of sex with and then dumped (read killed), not before he duped them of their passports and monies.
The film catches only glimpses of this in the first half, interspersed with Charles’ famous Tihar jail break in India. The rest as they say is history and the film does not have the space to explore further than this- the second major flaw of the cinema.
Randeep to a large extent reminded me of Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct, as the ultimate seductress. He plays ball to the T and mind you carves a niche for himself in every frame he appears in; whether it be the beaches of Goa among the hippies of the western world, or the palace of Udaipur among royalty. He just oozes panache.
Unfortunately director Prawaal Raman could not cash in with this and ends up with a lot of unnecessary information he has infused the film with!
In reality Charles served at least 20 years in prison in India (after his escape and subsequent capture) and went back to Paris to lead the life of a celebrity. His passion for adventure, comparable to Ulysses, made him come to Nepal where he was sentenced for another murder and subsequent life-imprisonment, which he is serving in Nepal.
Randeep in Highway and now in Charles will not only startle you but jolt you- from the foul-mouthed Haryanvi to an elegant gentleman who speaks in a French-broken-Hindi-English accent, he has indeed come a long way.
The only complaint is that his acting skills have not been exploited more as our directors have been far too busy with the Khans and the Kapoors to look for talent beyond these circles.
I had gone to watch the film with two friends who are in college. They who found it slow, very 70’s, had no clue about Charles and looked for more action. Don’t go for Main Aur Charles if you are of the same opinion.
Rating: 3/5