Badlapur Review: Say Hello to 2015’s First Film With ‘Repeat Value’
If you go by an old adage, revenge is perhaps best served cold. Bollywood, for decades, has harped heavily on revenge stories to churn out both forgetful and memorable films. Sriram Raghavan, best remembered for his fantastic revenge-drama Ek Hasina Thi, crisp and smart Johnny Gaddar, and a damp squib called Agent Vinod, sets up a tantalizing premise in Badlapur, and manages to keep up the tempo through much of the film’s run-time.
Badlapur delivers what its punchline promises – Don’t miss the beginning. The film opens with a racy proposition where you can hardly take your eyes off the screen as dramatic turn of events keep you on the edge of your seat. Misha (Yami Gautam) and her little son are killed in a bank robbery simply because they happen to be in a wrong place at the wrong time. One of the robbers Laik Mohammad (Nawazuddin Siddiqui in a memorable role) is nabbed by the police while the other manages to flee. Misha’s husband Raghu (Varun Dhawan), devastated by fate’s cruel slap on his face, sets out to seek revenge from the killer of his innocent wife and son. What unfolds in the next two hours is a fascinating cat and mouse game between Dhawan and Siddiqui that is mostly brilliant, but with certain flaws here and there.
Sriram Raghavan gets the noir aesthetics spot on and brings about an eerie calmness to the overall dark proceedings. The film smartly trots down the grey rope and constantly blurs the line between good and bad. Your sympathy will keep on shifting from one character to the other as the film never really lets your conviction and anxiety settle down. The director also deserves praise for sketching out characters that are raw, real and very much in flesh and blood. However, some of the sub-plots in the story raise doubts in your mind and leave you a little underwhelmed.
Badlapur belongs to its ‘real hero’ Nawazuddin Siddiqui who blows your mind off with his unique and effortless brand of acting. This common man superstar is an absolute revelation in the role of Laik Mohammad, making you seethe in anger, laugh in amusement and ponder in sympathy, all at the same time. Varun Dhawan as the vengeful Raghu sparkles with a lot of promise and manages to pull off a tough and challenging role. His transformation from a cute, clean-shaven man who is happy in his own little world, to a menacing and calculative revenge-seeker is laudable. Dhawan coveys a lot through his eyes, gets his emotions right but falls a little off target in certain scenes. However, you cannot take credit away from him for putting up a very fine performance and making a huge promise for the future, as far his acting is concerned.
Siddiqui and Dhawan are well-aided by a bunch of talented support cast that acts as a cherry on the cake. Huma Qureshi as a sex worker and love interest of Siddiqui is magnificent, so are Vinay Pathak and Divya Dutta in their small but significant roles. Yami Gautam comes across as the only character who is purely on the ‘good’ side and does a convicing job. Special mention for Radhika Apte, who is little-known to Hindi movie buffs, but delivers a confident performance in a pivotal role.
The film’s background score is apt, so is the soundtrack designed by the talented duo of Sachin-Jigar. Equally praiseworthy is the film’s editing that ensures that the revenge menu on your platter never goes cold.
Badlapur’s ending may not go down well with one and all, especially the slightly preachy angle of giving second chances in life. Some of the revenge-fulfilling mechanisms of the central character Raghu also leave a lot to be desired but overall grip of the film never weakens. In fact, Badlapur is a kind of film that leaves a few questions unanswered and lets you think hard long after you have come out of the theatre, making it this year’s first film with considerable ‘repeat value’.
Watch Badlapur for your Aam Aadmi ‘hero’ Nawazuddin Siddiqui, a transformed Varun Dhawan and a very gripping treatment of a dark, disturbing story. The dry run at the theatres is over, go indulge yourself in Sriram Raghavan’s delightful dark chocolate and try and forgive the slight sweetness that creeps in towards the end.
Rating: ***1/2 (Very Good)
