Movie Review: Badlapur

The movie “Badlapur” set aptly in a town by the same name is a story of Badla (vengeance). “Don’t miss the beginning” says the opening frame & quite rightly so. The director gives a hint of what is to be expected when he quotes an African proverb “The axe forgets, the tree remembers”, perhaps, indicating that the perpetuator forgets while the victim remembers. The revenge saga thus endures. Welcome to the noir world.

Varun Dhawan (Raghu), a 22 year old from Pune with stars in his eyes & with plans to pursue a career in Europe learns from his Tamil girlfriend Yami Gautam (Misha) - one year his junior - that she is pregnant. He skips his foreign plans, marries Misha & seems to have a cosy life working for an ad agency when disaster strikes. Misha & her son Robin while returning from a market errand have their car hijacked by two bank robbers, Nawazuddin Siddiqui (Laik) & Vinay Pathak (Harman). The police chase, expectedly, behind the speeding car & in the enduring melee the boy drops dead on the road & in an adrenalin rush Laik shoots an intemperate Misha who dies in hospital in Raghu’s hands transforming the latter into an emotional wreck. Raghu has been wronged by destiny & the audience starts to sympathize with him.

The police arrest Laik not before he had successfully allowed Harman to escape with the booty and the gun - obliterating any traces of evidence. The accused does not reveal the identity of the significant other despite several violent attempts by the police. Laik thus comes across as a loyal friend. He is subsequently sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment. Raghu seeks out the identity of the killers but to no avail.

Raghu, therefore, engages the services of Ashwini Kalsekar – a detective - to get some leads in the case & she does not disappoint. She learns from Laik’s mother (Pratima) about Laik’s prostitute girlfriend, Huma Qureshi (Jhimli). Raghu approaches Jhimli & promises her his son’s insurance money of 35 lakhs in entirety if only she can help him with the identity of the other perpetuator. She fails & fumbles & he punishes her with sexual violence. Raghu has starting to turn psychic & the audience begins to wonder what happened to the loving & gentle husband he once was.

Time rages on & Laik makes many unsuccessful attempts at escape. Meanwhile after spending 15 years in jail he is detected with stomach cancer & his life put on a notice period of 1 year. Divya Dutta (Sobha), a divorcee, who runs an NGO takes his case to Raghu seeking his mercy to enable Laik spend his last few days, happily, with his mother. Raghu rebels, initially & relents only after Laik’s mother bribes him with Harman’s identity. Raghu

who had shifted to Badlapur after the death of his wife & child – to work as a foreman in a factory - travels back to Pune to find Harman - a wealthy restaurateur  married to the glamorous  Radhika Apte (Koko).  He befriends the family & post revealing his true intentions indulges in a fake sexual encounter with Koko to destroy Vinay’s family. Thereafter, he appropriates Laik’s share of the booty, hammers Koko to death & smidgeons Harman to pulp, revealing a new sadistic trait of his

personality. The manipulative side of his personality is revealed when Raghu plans a rendezvous with Sobha to provide him with a convenient alibi to escape the accusation of murder, much to the latter’s chagrin.  The audience has been taken through the violent swing in Raghu’s messed up character; his sexual depravity was seen earlier & now his moral degradation, manipulative instincts & violent psychic predilection appears to startle the viewers & perhaps they start to detest him.

Laik had kept the identity of Harman a secret with the notion that post release he can take his share & along with Jhimli move to salubrious climes. Understanding that death is near, he dreams of enjoying the last few months with Jhimli.  While Harman has not deceived him – perhaps there is still “honour amongst thieves” – he is now left holding the bucket. The money has been usurped by Raghu; Jhimli - though still well disposed towards him - has found a new paramour who appears to be indulging her though not respecting her. Laik’s soft mature side is revealed – before he walks off from Jhimli’s life -when he threatens Jhimli’s patron that being a murderer he would kill if the latter ever attempted any violence against Jhimli. The audience starts liking Laik though he is lascivious & not of a perfect make. You make judgements while sifting through shades of grey.

Laik wants to avenge the loss of his booty & therefore attempts to kill Raghu but fails. Raghu too, surprisingly does not kill Laik even when the opportunity presents itself on a platter. Therefore, perhaps, Laik has a change of heart & reveals to Raghu that it was he, inadvertently, who had shot the former’s wife & not Vinay who was innocent.  The secret that Laik has guarded for 15 long years is revealed & Raghu’s long wait to identify the killer of his family concludes. Does Raghu regret his act of killing an innocent Harman? He doesn’t appear so.

Laik then makes the ultimate sacrifice. He pleads guilty of killing Harman & Koko so that Raghu can get a second chance in life. Surprisingly, the futility of revenge & violence is thus revealed through the most unlikely of characters. The audience, understandably, who detested Laik earlier & were sympathetic towards Raghu, have their feelings completely reversed. The director has done the unimaginable.

Varun Dhawan who made his name in slapstick comedies makes a dramatic transformation. Nawaz is outstanding displaying shades of sleaze, aggression, venality & vulnerability - a treat to watch. He is cheeky yet witty a must watch for all aspiring actors. All the characters are well etched & the layered screenplay haunting. Less of misogyny would perhaps have made the movie more palatable. The director, Sriram Raghavan has wielded the microphone for many classic thrillers: Jonny Gaddar, Ek Hasina Thi & later Agent Vinod. However Badlapur appears different from his earlier servings for it is of the psychic thriller noir genre.  This dark brooding film reminds one of Anurag Kashyap’s “Ugly” & the raw in your face depiction of “Gangs of Wassseypur”.  Great film!!