NH10

Since i saw the trailer of N.H. 10, i wanted to watch it, because i thought this is a very new territory for Bollywood and i just wanted to see did they manage to pull this off. I think they did a good job here and opened a door of more such movies which deals with demons inside normal people.

The movie is about a Delhi couple on a journey to somewhere they can have a good time. Little did they know that their path will cross with trouble, a trouble that can claim your life.

The film is dark all along. It displays the difficulties women experience in current society on different levels, people killing people for absurd reasons, crowd watching everything that is happening because when the one person, who stood up against it will end up with the same fate.

These type of survival stories should be appreciated in cinema, specially Bollywood because of limited number of such films and those which are there does not always tightly directed. They always have a problem such as loose story line, unimportant revenge dialogues and a climax which does not give the satisfaction to the audience.

Well, this film gave me a satisfaction that i have seen something new and i liked it enough.

Not to forget, Anushka was awesome, so was Neil Bhoopalan. Other cast such as Darshan Kumar did a great job too.

Go for this movie if you have a strong heart to make it till the end and you like movies where victims are intelligent people not just screaming dumb people.

A good honest attempt by the director, producer and the lead actress, but the story and the characters let down the film badly. Every character is a cliché - every character behaves in a manner which is quite ridiculous. I did not feel that Anushka was in any real danger at any time. The gang chasing her was so incompetent. I did not feel any sympathy towards her or Neil. They had themselves to blame for the peril they were in. The only good scene in the entire movie is a sequence right at the end - but that is too little, too late to rescue the film. I was expecting a lot darker and serious movie - disappointed.

First things first, I was a little doubtful of this movie when I was purchasing the tickets because of all the negative reviews I had been hearing on the radio, on TV, and from friends, etc. Turns out, these were the best 100 bucks (yes, 100 bucks; perks of living in Greater Noida) I have spent in a while. The movie was brilliant! A high society couple hailing from a metropolitan of North India head out with nothing but a great weekend on their mind. Little do they know that this adventure road trip of theirs would be met by an incident, pertaining to one of the many social evils that still prevail in the rural parts of India, which would turn their simple journey on National Highway 10 (often abbreviated as NH 10) into a life-altering experience.

I was seriously blown away by the acting and direction, which defy most typical Bollywood movie template where the protagonist fights off three dozen gravity-defying goons of the villain but its a neck to neck battle with the antagonist himself, while his lady love (or rather a sidekick with almost no role to play in the movie) dances around needlessly and both survive in the end with a happily-ever-after ending. Obviously, it is seriously not meant for people who love Chennai Express-type movies. If you still decide to give it a shot, expecting even a pinch of romance, believe me you will be disheartened and disappointed with it, just like the couple sitting behind me who walked out of the theater in under 15 minutes. I liked it because it had a beginning, a mid, and an end. And all the three were properly executed, and did not completely defy logics OR physics, as is the case with most action Bollywood movies nowadays. Anushka was outstanding as the main lead, and other characters were pretty believable too. Nothing felt out of the place. And since its kind of a thriller, I really enjoyed the natural and expected behavior from the actors and I must say that in those regards, this movie even pips some Hollywood same-genre movies in which people are shown doing dumb things and act as if they are devoid of any and all common sense when in a life-threatening situation. I must say I was intrigued as well as immersed in the movie, especially in the beginning and in the end. The cast as well as the director were successful in keeping me from getting bored throughout the movie. And so, I hereby declare it a movie which is a bang for your (the no-nonsense and serious movie-goers') buck, and deserves my 9 rating stars.

Just a heads up, the movie is rated A, probably because of the one cuss word which is muted out towards the ending. Or maybe its because of violence, which most reviewers here are dubbing as "not- for-the-faint-hearted" *shrugs*. But meh.... No nudity or obscene shots, it is okay to watch it with your family, in my opinion.

One of the great pluses here is "NH10" didn't feel the need to wedge in a song & dance number like they do in 99% of Bollywood films. With it, I wouldn't have been able to sit all the way through. Generally, the acting isn't bad; kinda weak, though, in the male lead. I recommended this R film (profanity, violence) simply for the fact it told the story without a ridiculous forced song & dance number and it moved along swiftly.

'NH10' is brutal, frightening & yet powerful. Director Navdeep Singh gives a film, that's often scary & grotesque, but beneath all that, lies a story of courage & fighting back. It may not appeal to all due to its dark theme, but for those who relish on well-done violent thrillers, are sure to have a ball!

'NH10' Synopsis: A young couple's road trip goes awry after an encounter with a group of violent criminals. Chaos & Brutality follows...

'NH10' isn't for the faint-hearted. The sheer brutality depicted on-screen is off-putting & very disturbing. Also, this is a dark film, with absolutely nothing, but darkness all over it. But, the violence & the theme is so justified here, that it works as its trump card. 'NH10' works because the approach to this frightening tale, is given the correct treatment & execution.

Sudip Sharma's Screenplay is arresting. You're hooked onto the screen almost throughout, thanks to its tight writing. However, the first 30-minutes, when the story builds up, are dull. Those moments are the only shortcomings of this otherwise well-made film. But, the second-hour & the finale, in particular, are excellent.

Navdeep Singh's Direction is realistic & effective. He's handled the film really well. Cinematography is stark. Editing is perfect, as the film wraps up within a 110-minutes. Action-Sequences are gruesome, but well-executed. Background Score is first-class.

Performance-Wise: Anushka Sharma, who's also produced the film, delivers a terrific, dramatic performance as the horrified yet courageous protagonist. She displays helplessness with sincerity, but breathers fire when it comes to destroying the villains. This is undoubtedly her finest work to date. Neil Bhoopalam is fairly good in the limited role he appears in. Darshan Kumaar is effortlessly wicked, enacting the chief villain with command. Deepti Naval is absolutely fantastic in a scary cameo.

On the whole, 'NH10' is Tough Enough!