Neeraj Pandey’s debut is a remarkable venture. It has a very simple premise, made eminently watchable by extremely competent performances from three men – Naseeruddin Shah, Anupam Kher and Jimmy Shergill. The fact that the director avoids the usual Hindi cinema annoyances like songs is a phenomenally satisfying decision, particularly because the story is constructed as an edge of the seat thriller. The plot takes its time to settle down at least in the initial sequences, complete with a ridiculously voiced, surprisingly fully dressed Deepal Shah. But once it does, the film moves towards a single minded climax that puts a brand new spin to….aw shucks, I cannot use that phrase, since that would give away the story! The strange thing is that the twist in the end is not entirely surprising or shocking but Naseer’s explanation on the reasons is what takes this film to the next level. It’s a astonishingly stark, expletives-loaded and honest outburst that works wonders for the film’s culmination. This particular initiative has been attempted by so many heroes in the past and they continue to do it too – but the way it has been depicted here is a masterstroke. One heck of an experience!
Keywords: Naseruddin Shah, Anupam Kher, Jimmy Shergill, Aamir Bashir, Deepal Shaw
