Hunterrr

Director – Harshwardhan Kulkarni

Cast – Gulshan Deviya, Radhika Apte, Sai Tamhankar, Veera Saxena, Neena Kulkarni, Ravindra Mankani and Jyoti Subhash

‘A man is basically as faithful as his options’

                                                                                           Chris Rock

Hunterrr cannot be really termed as a sex comedy. It is more of modern and mature way of looking at the subject and coming to terms with it minus the brouhaha.

Mandar Ponkshe (Gulshan) is an expert womanizer or ‘Vaasu’. For him it is all about sex. He doesn’t care if his partner is married or unmarried, mid-aged or young. His success rate makes him the ‘Guru of the Group’. When he finds his soulmate Tripti Gokhale (Radhika Apte) he lies to her. However, a life changing incident forces him to think - Does he really wish to settle down? Or does he want to continue being a Vaasu?

Let’s accept it that sex is a human need and if it two individuals consent to it, then others have no right whatsoever to raise on objection. In the film, the women - Jyotsana (Saee) Parul (Veera) and Savita fall prey to Mandar’s tactics for their own reasons. The director tries to say that the responsibility of the act is shared. He doesn’t follow the typical feminist approach of blame game or victimization. As such, you enjoy the film.

Even in the first half there are scenes that remind you of ‘the guilty pleasures of childhood’. The director keeps it as clean as possible. The second half is a little lengthy and could have been shortened. The subplot involving the cousin is a dragged but acceptable. Like, Delhi Belly all the songs have been used in the background.

In a scene Mandar tries to explain the concept of ‘Vaasu’ to Tripti. He uses the word ‘Chodu’ and says that he couldn’t think of any better word that fits the case. Now this vital word has been beeped due to the Censor Board’s outrageous rules. Only, if you have seen the uncensored trailer on YouTube then you’d understand it. Else, (like many in the theatre) you’d have a poker face. 

Marathi used in the film is clean and carries some typical slang words. Hunterrr has its moments of fun where you can laugh your heart out. The market scene where Tripti dares Mandar or the scene wherein he explains to the cop is hilarious. Watch out for Mandar’s silent observant neighbour.

Gulshan Deviah steals the show as Mandar. He is the typical silent boy who carries a dark secret. His antics entertain you to the fullest. Radhika Apte’s portrayal of the typical, educated Marathi Mulgi is fabulous. Saee Tamhankar and Veera Saxena are valuable supports.

I am going with three and a half stars out of five for Harshwardhan Kulkarni’s ‘Hunterrr’. Go watch it in a cinema near you.