Rating: * * * *

By: Keyur Seta

In his first two films, Ek Hasina Thi and Johnny Gaddar, director Sriram Raghavan proved himself to be a specialist when it comes to narrating dark, edgy thrillers in Hindi cinema. Even in Agent Vinod, which wasn’t so impressive, he displayed his trademark style during a number of scenes.

Now, with his latest movie Badlapur – Don’t Miss The Beginning Raghavan has reinforced his image as Hindi cinema’s intelligent specialist for crafting such genre of thrillers. If you have a stomach for dark and, at times, disturbing thrillers, this revenge saga is for you.

Badlapur commences in the year 2000 in Pune, where Misha (Yami Gautam) and her son get killed after two bank robbers, Liak (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) and his sidekick, get into her car to escape from the police. Raghav aka Raghu (Varun Dhawan), Misha’s husband, is shocked and devastated by the news. After 15 years of grief, Raghu finally gets a chance to take revenge.

The film isn’t the regular revenge dramas seen in Bollywood. In fact, more than the revenge, you tend to notice the unusually creative manner of presenting almost every scene, which gets you hooked on to the screen for the entire duration. Raghavan deserves all the applause for his writing and presentation skills, especially during the climax, which also triggers an overwhelming feeling. It forces you to ask a lot of questions.

Apart from the thrills and action, Badlapur will also be remembered for its super hilarious moments. It is amusing how in the midst of a serious situation, something dark humorous pops out from nowhere forcing you to laugh out loud. The joke on Maratha Mandir is one of the funniest things you will hear in a long time.

As Badlapur has a disturbing theme with violent visuals, it won’t go down well with the section of the masses looking for entertainment. This is applicable more to the young Varun Dhawan fans. This, however, shouldn’t be looked down as a flaw as that is exactly the intention of the makers. The negative factors are actually seen with the behavior of an important character and few questionable situations.

The good efforts of the technical department make sure the film turns out to be a sleek thriller. As expected from a respected veteran like Anil Mehta, the camerawork is top notch. Sachin-Jigar composed tracks go well with the theme. ‘Jee Karda’ is unarguably the best of the lot. Its use in the background goes well with the situations, especially the climax.

After this performance, Varun Dhawan will be known as a quality actor instead of just a chocolate boy hero. Playing such a character so early in your career is utterly difficult but he manages it. But Nawazuddin Siddiqui also manages to steal the show with an act that forces you to applaud. He is easily one of the finest actors from India!

Vinay Pathak too is excellent post-interval. In a cameo, Yami Gautam is decent. Huma Qureshi shines once again. Radhika Apte is impressive as Pathak’s wife. Divya Dutta provides a mature act. Kumud Mishra leaves behind a terrific impact, more so in the ending moments. Pratima Kazmi does what she knows best. Murli Sharma is likable.

Overall: Badlapur – Don’t Miss The Beginning is a must watch if you prefer dark thrillers. The good amount of hype and Varun’s fan following gives it a chance of earning well at the box office.

Director: Sriram Raghavan

Producers: Maddock Films and Eros International

Writers: Sriram Raghavan and Arijit Biswas

Cast: Varun Dhawan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Huma Qureshi, Vinay Pathak, Divya Dutta, Radhika Apte, Pratima Kazmi, Kumud Mishra