Film on Netflix
After watching this hard hitting film in the crime-thriller genre, I was surprised by the lack of promotional efforts and even ‘word of mouth’ praise while several of the same genre that have flooded OTT platforms, get more than the deserved appreciation. Why is there a coldish response to this gripping cop film starring ‘Saif Ali Khan’ that has a taut storyline and quite a few talented actors like Rasika Duggal and Sanjay Mishra and more importantly produced by the ‘Gauri Khan’ of ‘Red Chillies Entertainment’ and directed by Pulkit ! The film’s credits give a big ‘Thank You’ to yes, Sharukh Khan !
Hard to fathom the film industry shenanigans but could it be that Saif Ali Khan is no longer such a big draw, yet when I finally latched on to the movie as an afterthought, I couldn’t leave it till the end ! Without giving away too much and become a spoiler, it important to mention that the film’s setting is the fictional rural town of Jhamli located in Haryana, within the Indian heartland and the characters are semi-rustic and speak in the local dialect quite convincingly ! The milieu from Haryana, reflects rural northern India and the traditional social constraints of the region. While basically a political crime thriller, the film’s backdrop highlights a volatile local community dealing with caste discrimination, an ashram/religious cult and local khap-driven social pressures.
And boy, what a power house performance by ‘Saif’ which grows on you as the film picks up and the ‘plot thickens’ like a whodunit which has many flavours ! Inspite of a kind of long hiatus, movie buffs will recall Saif’s brilliant portrayal as the evil ‘langda’ Tyagi in Vishal Bhardwaj’s ‘Omkara’ and his suaveness in the classic ‘Parineeta’ as also his many breezy performances in hit movies as ‘Kal Ho Na Ho’, ‘Hum Tum’ and ‘Dil Chahta Hai’. Thankfully in this film, he’s no longer a exuberant youth but a hardened mid-age cop ! There’s also an array of impressive supporting characters played by the veterans Sanjay Mishra, Manish Chaudhari & Zakir Husain. TV Anchor Saurabh Dwivedi has a cameo.
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