Badlapur

Cast: Varun Dhawan, Huma Qureshi, Yami Gautam, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Vinay Pathak

Director: Sriram Raghavan

Producer/s: Saif Ali Khan, Dinesh Vijan

Plot: Badlapur is a dark crime drama with an interesting game of taking action and responsibility, of being able to and not being able to forgive and make sacrifices. The film delivers a top-notch thriller, which shows how a happy man’s life changes into an unstable emotional state, and the twist becomes a part of the formula.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars (Three and Half stars)

Star Cast: Varun Dhawan, Huma Qureshi, Yami Gautam, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Vinay Pathak

Director: Sriram Raghavan

What’s Good: Badlapur is a complete performance driven film. It is one of the best neo-noir representation in Indian cinema. The film has the right amount of gore and will leave its bitter taste on your tongues.

What’s Bad: After being glued to your seats for the first half, the film loses its grip in the second half to a dragged ending. Also the vengeful story lacks a little luster in terms of a complete revenge climax.

Loo break: None required!

Watch or Not?: Badlapur is not everyone’s regular coffee, it’s black coffee! This film deals with dark humor and so if your taste buds can enjoy bloody revenges, you will savor this as a delicacy.

User Rating: 

Raghu (Varun Dhawan) is a happy content man who has a beautiful wife Mishti (Yami Gautam), his college sweetheart and a son Robin. This fairy tale life comes to an abrupt end when Mishti and Robin are killed in a bank robbery case. Left in a state of shock, Raghu never comes to terms with his life.

After one of the robbers, Laik (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) is caught by the police, Raghu tries to avenge his family’s loss by forcefully sleeping with Laik’s prostitute girlfriend Jhumli (Huma Qureshi) but attains nothing. While Laik is given a 20 year jail sentence, Raghu still harbours an uncontrollable angst inside him which comes out 15 years later when Laik is bailed due to his medical conditions. This where the story starts and the twists keep you hooked into this revenge tale!

Badlapur Review: Script Analysis

It is probably easy to show a complex tale since it will need a lot of concentration to unfold but Sriram Raghavan does the exact opposite in Badlapur, right from its on set, he keeps it simple yet engaging. The films does rely on scaring you with its gore imagery but it is the straight forward dialogues and rhetoric of Raghu’s character that really pinch you hard.

Dealing with dark humor, the film is wicked with its script. The way the characters have been carved out is brilliant as the film maker sheds the quintessential hero image and introduces a rather villainous-hero, who will kill and still satisfy your fantasies. While the initial build-up is great, the script fumbles in the second half.

Certain scenes seemed unnecessary, such as the brief conversation between Huma and Varun towards the end is a drag. Also even though the premise of the entire film is revenge, the film will surprise you with its twists. I have to say that Sriram does not go to the level of Ek Hasina Thi and for me that was the true definition of a revenge story, in comparison to that, Badlapur is mediocre.

Nawaz’s character is written with great finesse and while on one hand you are disgusted by him, he is also responsible for the comic relief in the film. Interestingly, in spite of being a story that deals with vengeance, the film lays down bare truths and also how human nature can at times find solace in either surrendering to their realities.

Badlapur Review: Star Performances

Varun Dhawan with this film, proves that he is here to stay. This film will be remembered every time his acting skills are mentioned. He enlivens Raghu’s character with full gusto. There is not a single frame where you find him weak. I rarely connect with on-screen characters but Raghu did get me emotional. This is Varun’s best performance till date!

Nawazuddin Siddiqui is a gem. He is one of the greatest discoveries for Bollywood. In spite of being the villain, he will make you laugh in this film. Nawaz can pull off almost everything and Badlapur’s role will be another feather on his cap.

Yami Gautam and Huma Qureshi have limited roles in the film. Both of them do a average job and leave nothing remarkable in the film.

Radhika Apte receives a special mention for her superb scene as she is asked to shed her clothes by a wicked Raghu. You have to see it to understand its true acting value.