Badlapur : Revenge Served Cold

#Badlapur : “Dont miss the beginning” screams the promos & the tagline. Indeed Sriram Raghavan’s comeback to form trial Badlapur starts with a bang. The remarkably shot opening scene sets the tempo for the roller coaster ride ahead. Raghu’s life suddenly changes when his wife and young son were accidentally killed during a bank robbery. From a happy go lucky professional, he becomes an individual possessed by the singular passion to avenge the murder of his wife & kid. What plays on for next couple of hours is a chillingly cold and horrifyingly intense revenge saga.

On the premise Badlapur seems a simple story. But Raghavan, being a master of the genre, introduces his characters intelligently to add layers to his screen play. All his characters have different shades; you can’t classify them as simply good or bad. They are victims of the external circumstances and internal conflicts – much like a real human. In the world of noir –right and wrong are moot points.

Varun Dhawan dares to come out of his comfort zone to give one of his best performances till date. Radhika Apte plays a short, yet scintillating role. But the man from whom you can’t keep your eyes off has to be a cunning, cold and tantalising Nawazuddin Siddique. As a cheeky yet maniac and brutal Laik he steals the thunder. Anil Mehta’s cinematography has all the shades of grey. Watch out for that long shot in the first scene or the scene where Varun is returning home during a rain drenched evening. Each of them is pregnant with anticipation. The screen play is taut and wicked. Unlike Johny Gaddar , Raghavan uses violence judiciously in Badlapur – but whenever he decides to use it , it is brutal and impactful.

However with a crisper editing Badlapur could have been much more enticing. Also as a noir film it should have avoided sermonising. And yes what disappoints is the use of many talented actors including Yami Gautam who are rarely used to take the story forward.

Badlapur maynot be a Johny Gaddar or a Ek Hasina Thi , yet it is a film you will enjoy sitting on the edge . I’m going out with 3.5 out of 5.Go have your share of revenge – it is being served cold!