Moh Maya Money review – Important message lost in delivery

Dark crime thrillers are not staple fare in Hindi cinema. So, obviously, crime thrillers involving insurance scams are rarer. With director Munish Bhardwaj’s Moh Maya Money, we finally have a film in this genre. But to what extent does the film do justice to the subject? Let’s find out. 

The film is based in Delhi in 2015. Aman (Ranvir Shorey) lives with his wife Divya (Neha Dhupia) in an upper-middle-class locality. Aman is an agent with a real-estate broker. But a large chunk of his income comes from illegal land deals. Aman hijacks his company’s clients and does secret deals for hefty sums. He is sure the firm will never find out. His dream is to move into a higher strata of society as soon as possible.

Divya is a senior journalist working with a television news channel. She is happy with her simple, middle-class existence and does not share Aman's big dreams. Divya is also critical of Aman’s immoral ways of earning big bucks. But she does not protest too much.

One day, however, Aman’s world comes crashing down and the consequences land Divya in a pickle. Is this the end for Aman?

Moh Maya Money is a tale more in the James Hadley Chase genre, given the number of insurance scam stories the late pulp-fiction author churned out. The script is tight. There are not too many unnecessary sequences. The idea of keeping the film free of any songs is also praiseworthy. These factors ensure that you are kept engaged and there is a sense of anticipation for the climax.

Most crucial for a film of this kind to succeed, however, is unpredictability in plot development. This adds to the thrill. Unfortunately, that does not happen here. You can predict the most important plot twist long before the interval because of the very first scene. Perhaps it would have helped if the film had not been narrated in flashback mode.

But Moh Maya Money's problem is not limited to this. Even the predictable twist is not convincing and looks right out of the cheesy television serial, CID. This inflicts maximum damage on the film.

There are other boo-boos, too. A person who does not wish to be seen in Delhi roams around the capital city with just a hood, leaving the face totally uncovered. Another character is about to leave for a trip to Hong Kong, but, on one occasion, the destination mentioned is Sri Lanka.

Technically, the film is sound and the presentation is slick. The cinematography has been kept simple, which is perfect for the subject. The background score is passable.

The performances of the lead artistes are a big positive. Ranvir Shorey gets his greedy yuppie down pat, and makes him totally believable. After Titli (2015), he again scores high marks playing a serious character. It would be unfortunate if this actor does not get more such performance-orientated roles.

The female lead is extremely important to Moh Maya Money's plot, and Neha Dhupia does full justice to the role. The actress is certainly improving rapidly.

Vidushi Mehra has appeared in small roles in a few films like No One Killed Jessica (2011) and 7 Khoon Maaf (2011). This is the first time she gets to play a prominent character and she makes good use of the opportunity. The actor playing her filmmaker husband also gets noticed in a cameo. 

Overall, one can't quarrel with the message of Moh Maya Money, which is contrary to Gordon Gecko's claim that greed is good. One just wishes the film had delivered the message in a more thrilling and convincing manner.

Reviewed by Keyur Seta

Director: Munish Bhardwaj
Producer: Delhi Talkies
Writers: Munish Bhardwaj, Mansi Nirmal Jain
Cast: Ranvir Shorey, Neha Dhupia, Vidushi Mehra
Genre: Thriller
Runtime: 109 minutes