This movie cannot be termed entertaining by any stretch of imagination. It is a difficult watch. Picturised completely in the scorching, barren Rajasthan desert at the border, this movie makes for both difficult and compelling viewing dealing as it does with multiple gruesome killings and scenes of torture but the filming is top class with some awesome cinematography and crisp editing. ( Both the camera work and editing departments are headed by talented women , Shreya Dev Dube and Aarti Bajaj respectively. A big salute to women power at work ).
The treatment given to the film is reminiscent of the Clint Eastwood movies where we have the brooding, strong, silent hero who enters the village as an outsider and is treated with suspicion. Here Harshavardhan Kapoor who doesn't talk much, plays the revenge seeking loner, drives around in a jeep, tells people he an antique dealer but he has a different agenda. He also has a torture room where he makes hell for his oppressors. He doesn't talk much and as per the owner of the small eatery Harshavardhan frequents, he says he has heard Harshavardhan utter only three words so far. Anil Kapoor plays Surekha Singh, an ageing police inspector on the verge of retirement who is accompanied by a rotund deputy Satish Kaushik. Both are investigating the murders and hanging which have taken place. Due to the rugged landscape and the killings there is reference to cult movie "Sholay" and rightly so. The camera lingers on dry landscape, bare trees, briefly focusing on the the weather beaten faces of lazing old men and women of the village who are mute bystanders. Two village women ( Fatima Sana Shaikh and Mukti Mohan) are at the receiving end of mental and physical harassment by their toxic, misogynistic husbands. Director Raj Singh Choudhury has no doubt made a gripping film using his technical team to their full potential but appears to have gone overboard with scenes of killings and torture. Maybe he has a Tarantino or Sergio inspiration and he just could be the next auter here. He has used the camera with excellent results and some aerial shots are superb. The last drone/aerial shot with the scattered bodies is praiseworthy. However some scenes are clearly disturbing and needed to be toned down. Anurag Kashyap's dialogue seems rooted to that area with the expletives included for effect. Acting wise both Anil and Harshvardhan are top class in their roles. Satish Kaushik does his bit in his usual dependable style. Other actors have all done well.
The treatment given to the film is reminiscent of the Clint Eastwood movies where we have the brooding, strong, silent hero who enters the village as an outsider and is treated with suspicion. Here Harshavardhan Kapoor who doesn't talk much, plays the revenge seeking loner, drives around in a jeep, tells people he an antique dealer but he has a different agenda. He also has a torture room where he makes hell for his oppressors. He doesn't talk much and as per the owner of the small eatery Harshavardhan frequents, he says he has heard Harshavardhan utter only three words so far. Anil Kapoor plays Surekha Singh, an ageing police inspector on the verge of retirement who is accompanied by a rotund deputy Satish Kaushik. Both are investigating the murders and hanging which have taken place. Due to the rugged landscape and the killings there is reference to cult movie "Sholay" and rightly so. The camera lingers on dry landscape, bare trees, briefly focusing on the the weather beaten faces of lazing old men and women of the village who are mute bystanders. Two village women ( Fatima Sana Shaikh and Mukti Mohan) are at the receiving end of mental and physical harassment by their toxic, misogynistic husbands. Director Raj Singh Choudhury has no doubt made a gripping film using his technical team to their full potential but appears to have gone overboard with scenes of killings and torture. Maybe he has a Tarantino or Sergio inspiration and he just could be the next auter here. He has used the camera with excellent results and some aerial shots are superb. The last drone/aerial shot with the scattered bodies is praiseworthy. However some scenes are clearly disturbing and needed to be toned down. Anurag Kashyap's dialogue seems rooted to that area with the expletives included for effect. Acting wise both Anil and Harshvardhan are top class in their roles. Satish Kaushik does his bit in his usual dependable style. Other actors have all done well.