Film: Badlapur
Cast: Varun Dhawan, Huma Qureshi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Yami Gautam,
Cast: Varun Dhawan, Huma Qureshi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Yami Gautam,
Director: Sriram Raghavan
“Don’t Miss The Beginning” is the tagline of director
Sriram Raghavan’s latest venture, Badlapur. Rightly so, the first 10 minutes of
the film create a dramatic opening sequence of what promises to be an intense
neo-noir drama. If only that was actually the case. Badlapur is filled with
dark twists and an unpredictable end, but is somewhere lost on logic.
Raghu (Varun Dhawan), is a family man whose life takes a
tragic turn after his wife Misha (Yami Gautam) and son are killed during a bank
heist for no particular rhyme or reason. What then transpires between the
protagonist and the killer Layak (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) for the next 15 years
will leave you puzzled and intrigued. The film has a brilliant plot, but is
haunted by the slow pace of events and some sub-par acting by Varun. Despite
his brave attempt at being the angry young man, Dhawan lacked the maturity that
was required to get into Raghu’s character.
In fact, it is Nawazuddin who steals Varun’s thunder,
delivering a crisp performance yet again with his effortless portrayal of the
bad guy. Yami Gautam’s role lasts as much as the bank robbery. Huma Qureshi
plays Jhimli, a prostitute and Layak’s love interest. The supporting cast
includes Ashwini Kalsekar as the private detective, Kumud Mishra as the
inspector, Divya Dutta as an NGO worker and Vinay Pathak as Layak’s
partner-in-crime. Each of them does justice to their respective roles in the
film. Even then, you get an unsatisfactory feeling at the end of the film,
after a promising trailer that raised our hopes.
In spite of a plot that defies logic, Badlapur has its
moments thanks to Siddiqui’s comic timing and funny punchlines that crack you
up occasionally. The film progresses at a snail’s pace, but picks up after the
interval to deliver an unforeseeable climax. Varun Dhawan may have come across
as a miscast, but deserves a round of applause for stepping out of his comfort
zone. Siddiqui is a class apart and has mastered the art of playing the cheeky
villain. It is about time he takes up newer challenges in Bollywood.
The film, based on a story by Massimo Carlotto, is a
standard revenge drama. What makes it memorable are the characters. Each one is
sharply written — even the minor characters, like a female detective, get a
sparkling moment.
The relationship between him and Jhimli, a prostitute
played by Huma Qureshi, is so tender that you are torn between hating him and
rooting for them to live happily ever after. Badlapur is tough, on both its
viewers and its actors. Full marks to Varun for stepping out of his comfort zone.
The supporting players — from Huma to Kumud Mishra — are terrific. But
ultimately, Badlapur rests on the towering talent of Nawazuddin.
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