"Ek Villian" starring Sidharth Malhotra, Shraddha Kapoor and Riteish Deshmukh has garnered appreciation not only from critics, but also from industry insiders.
The lead actors especially, Deshmukh and Malhotra have left the critics spellbound with their performances. Deshmukh, who has taken on the role of an antagonist for the first time, has stolen the limelight.
Mohit Suri has gotten a thumbs up for his direction and critics have also praised Milap Zaveri for the dialogues he has penned. Zaveri, who is known for his humorous writing style, has surprised critics in "Ek Villain", says film critic Taran Adarsh.
Check out the reviews from critics and industry people here:
Karan Johar: Rarely does a film scare you and move you to tears....intensity and brutality blended by the brilliance of Mohit Suri #ekvillain is Genius!! Ritesh delivers his career best work he is outstanding!! Sidharth made me feel so proud!He is simply superb they are the pillars of the film
Sophie Choudry: Wow! #Villain is gripping & how! Shraddha is lovely, @Riteishd is 'shockingly' good & @S1dharthM a revelation!Congrats @mohit11481 & Balaji
Ken Ghosh: #ekvillain touches the heart and takes you on a thriller ride... a love story, a thriller, a musical! Well done team!
Huma Qureshi: Ek Villain @Riteishd kills it - u are scary!! @mohit11481 @zmilap @tushar1307 nicely done @S1dharthM @ShraddhaKapoor soo cute!
Jackky Bhagnani: Just saw #EkVillain and love loved the film @S1dharthM and @ShraddhaKapoor were super kudos to the team Mohit and @tanuj_garg and Ekta!!!
Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama said: "Mohit's movies are intensely violent, most of the times, and EK VILLAIN follows the same format. Given the nature of the subject, Mohit keeps the proceedings dark, but not repulsive. At the same time, the ruthlessness of the antagonist is depicted minus blood, gore and explicit visuals.
"On the whole, EK VILLAIN is a stylish, spellbinding and terrifying edge-of-the-seat thriller. It's a step forward in this genre, without doubt. A sure-shot winner!"
Mohar Basu of Koimoi.com said: "Ek Villain folds out quite contrary to its simplistic name. Told with an even pitch, the film isn't anything like the run-in-the-mill stories we are subjected to watch every week. This is sheer compelling commercial cinema that has a lucid story and its heart in the right place, without indulging in anything stoop! Mohit Suri doesn't depend on 'signpost' characters; surprising and gratifying you in equal measures. I don't even care if this film is a rip off of some obscure Korean flick, this is a smashingly effective one! The film's riveting rhythm, breathtaking performances especially from Sidharth and Riteish and the fantastic writing makes for a magnificent, racy and emotional watch.
"Ek Villain is an indulgent affair that breaks down the boundaries of regular thriller. Mohit Suri has raised the bar with this film that is captivatingly shot and crisply edited. At 2 hours, 7 minutes, the film benefits from the inspired lucidity in writing and dialogues. But mostly, it is the unpredictable skin Sidharth and Riteish don in this film that pulls the carpet from under your feet. Their phenomenal performances remain the movie's most enticing bit."
Mihir Fadnavis of Firstpost said: "Suri is a director who has mostly earned fame by ripping off phoren films and turning them into melodramatic Hindi romances, and his target audience demographic usually digs this kind of filmmaking and is uncaring about originality. So, keeping this in mind, how exactly does Ek Villain fare as a film? Shockingly, it's not so bad. Suri takes the core of I Saw The Devil and turns it into a melodramatic, manipulative, pyaar-mohabbat-dardi-humdardi drama."
Meena Iyer of The Times of India said: "You cannot fault the scale of Ek Villain or berate its lead star cast. But you wish you could celebrate this thriller like you did Suri's last movie outing Aashiqui 2. This one lacks soul."
Shubha Shetty-Saha of Mid-Day said: "'Ek Villain' is touted as an intense film. It kind of lives up to it. But in its 140 minute duration, it ends up with so much relentless intensity that after a point you start looking for an escape from this heat. This is a classic example of a film that takes itself so seriously that it ends up looking manipulative and largely lacking in genuine emotions and soul."
