“I will survive, Tracy thought. I face mine enemies naked, and my courage is my shield.” ― Sidney Sheldon, If Tomorrow Comes.
From director Sriram Raghvan who gave us Ek Hasina Thi (2004), loosely based on Sidney Sheldon’s novel If Tomorrow Comes, we have yet another thriller, Badlapur; starring Varun Dhawan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Huma Qureshi, Divya Dutt and Vinay Pathak in the lead roles.
It’s an ordinary day in the lives of Raghav (Dhawan) a successful advertisement executive who has a loving wife and a small boy and bank robbers Liak (Siddiqui) and his partner Pathak (Harman).
Raghav’s wife and son are caught in the crossfire and are killed in the heist and subsequent holdup. Raghav is unable to come to terms with it and does not buy Liak’s story that he is merely the driver, while the actual criminal (whose name too he does not know) has escaped with the loot.
Liak is sent to prison for twenty years- Raghav into his own shell- he gives up his job, moves out of Pune and settles in a small town by the highway- Badlapur. Remember this has nothing to do with the tumultuous emotions on inside him- it’s merely co-incidence.
In spite of several visits to Liak’s lover Jhimli (Quereshi) an uptown prostitute, Raghav is not able to get out any facts- especially the name and whereabouts of Liak’s partner.
Fifteen years have passed by, when Raghav is paid a visit by Shoba (Divya Dutt) a social worker who comes to plead on behalf of a dying-of-stomach-cancer Liak. Initially Raghav will not even hear of the same- but as the plot thickens, he begins to realize that this may be his one chance to find out about Liak’s missing partner and views this as a great opportunity for the rest of the pieces to fall into place.
He signs the no objection application and leaves Badlapur to get back to Pune- but not before he has his most vital information from Liak’s mother (who actually had come to plead on behalf of her dying son)- the name and details of the missing partner- Harman (Pathak).
In a cool, superb Thor-manner he smashes the heads of Harman and his wife and buries them too! Now its Liak’s turn- but will Raghav do it or will he not? Will the final revenge quench the fire of hatred he is harvesting within himself for the last fifteen years- or will he lose the purpose and focus of his living- revenge? Will he survive after that?
Badlapur has been raved and ranted about by many a critic- Dhawan’s performance they say has come of age- I will not agree on it, for one swallow does not make a summer. Siddiqui, Quereshi and Pathak are seasoned actors and not once did I doubt this through their performances in the film.
However, the plot lacks luster- it does not have even half of the thrill Ek Hasina Thi had- it’s mundane, everyday and very, very ordinary. The film does not rise above this- it is no doubt a thumbs-up for Dhawan and his graduation from being the Student of The Year- but he has miles to go before he sleeps.
Adapted from the writing of Massimo Carlotto, considered to be one of the darkest crime novelists, Badlapur is one grim tale which sadly lacks the sparkle.
Rating: 3/5