Badlapur (Hindi, 2015)

The title of the movie has been carefully chosen to depict multiple meanings. “Badla” stands for the metamorphosis that the protagonists undergo as the story unfolds. It also sometimes signifies revenge which each of the characters feel at some point of time in the film.

The acting is simply scintillating in terms of casting and screen space of characters. It would be sure injustice to say the characters chose the actors; the effort taken by the actors to get into the skin of the part they play is appreciable. The screen space has also been carefully made to be shared. At any point of time the number of characters you see on screen is limited to two or three and that keeps the screenplay simple. The exits and entry are also timed perfectly which enables the story to fall into place snuggly.

Varun Dhawan, as happy man turned bitter, brings you to tears while Nawazuddin Siddiqui is very menacing and brings out a package of emotions ranging from disgust, comedy, angst and finally peace. The abundant usage of women power is commendable as a single character does not hog the limelight. The array of characters played by Yami Gautam, Divya Dutta & Pratima Kazmi have a common thread of motherhood running at the base while parts played by Huma Quereshi, Aswini Kalsekar & Radhika Apte are the fulcrum around which the story takes precarious turns.

The cinematography seems to be tinted across the movie. The happiness is brought out in warm and vibrant colors whereas the toil, confusion, disappointment, fear and anger are shown in greys of rain and darkness of night.

The script follows a newly trending structure in terms of how the story unfolds. The movies which boast of similar structure have been hard-hitting in nature and the same can be told of this movie in particular as well ; a very good example would be Ugly wherein the main event occurs within first 10-15 minutes. With regards to a character transforming gradually from hero to heel & vice-versa over the course of the film, we can compare Badlapur to Barry Lyndon & Pudhupettai

There is nothing wrong in creating a cinema that is so awakening and could be a frontrunner in achieving a cult status. But given the terrifying circumstances we live in today, the violence showcased in the movie being slightly on the upper side, does not help.

It is a shame to have wasted the talent of Vinay Pathak on a role that is so short and droning. He would have fit the bill better as the inspector rather than the second convict.