Badlapur Review

Badlapur - review Badlapur, the title of the movie represents not only a small town village on the outskirts of Pune, but also makes a play on the story. Sriram Raghavan seems to be one of the few forbearers who has taken up the mantle to populate the noir genre in Bollywood. Whether it was Ek Hasina Thi or Johnny Gaddar, Sriram is known for a particular kind of storytelling. And Badlapur is a prime example of it. The casting of the movie had led to wide speculation. Varun Dhawan being cast in the lead role, an actor known more for his mainstream song and dance act against the indie intense energy of Nawazuiddin Siddiqui had many scratching their heads trying to figure out the onscreen equation and chemistry. But both the men deliver the goods and how! While the antagonist’s role seemed written for Nawaz, Varun on the other hand is a revelation. While Varun has impressed in past, in movies like Student of the year and Humpty Sharma ki Dulhaniya, especially where it was required of him to emote more than just flash his impishly mischievous smile. He single handedly carries the movie for the most part with his dead set eyes written large with pain and anguish. He even manages to deploy his impish grin for startling effect. Nawazuddin Siddique despite the burden of expectation on him steals the show in every scene that he appears. The chameleonesque garb that he wears on his face changes so fluidly and so rapidly that you are left spellbound. The movie opens with an African proverb, ‘The axe forgets but the tree remembers’. And this proverb plays itself out as the screenplay ensures that the audience is never sure as to which side to lean on. And there lies its brilliance. The story follows the consequential chain of events after a shocking killing. The movie follows as the two characters find their lives turn upside down. One seeks absolution while the other seeks deliverance of justice. The screenplay does a remarkable job in getting the audience to delve inside the psyche of each of its principle characters. And this is showcased wonderfully with the journey of Nawaz’s character who begins as an unremorseful, manipulative robber. But as the movie progresses, his character graph undergoes a series of crests and troughs, which makes the audience sympathize with him. Varun’s character showcases the deterioration of one’s morals and codes of ethics when one is bereft of all things worth living for. The movie avoids clichés and trusts heavily on the intelligence of the viewer to follow the characters and their motives. This is a rare exception in Hindi movies, where everything is not spoonfed. Badlapur is a fine example of character study. One should watch it for the underplayed albeit strong and powerful performances by the main and the supporting cast. Bollywood doesn’t do character studies which can be labeled as mainstream. Bollywood doesn’t trust the viewer to understand what is happening without stating the obvious. The makers of Badlapur trust the audience and their intelligence and we, the audience are greatly rewarded for it.