Badla

When you watch a remake of an outstanding movie with some mind-blowing twist in the end and some amazing cinematography and acting, you already have your expectations at the next level. To be really fair, I was awestruck after watching "An invisible guest" and the effect it left after, but I still watched Badla with a neutral mind and gave it a genuine try. But at the end, I felt I just saw a translated version of it's original. It's a screen by screen copy paste along with 90 percent of the dialogues. The only change was the gender. Come on Ghosh ji, use some of your creativity. Why would you just remake the movie exactly the same. Remake doesn't mean copy paste. For instance, look at Don. That's a fab remake, it not only gave justice to it's predecessor but also took it to a different level. For those of you who liked Badla, just watch it's original and you will understand my super disappointment.

With such powerhouse of talent in the film's credits, I felt somewhat let down by the execution & acting. Apart from Amrita Singh, I felt the actors were all trying to look too brooding & serious to match the storyline. And some overacting too. Few minutes into the movie & we could understand what the whole story is. May be it should have been titled something else than "Revenge". The director should have taken cue from why the Spanish moviemaker of the "The Invisible Guest" chose to keep it vague. The Spanish movie is the basis of this film & after watching the trailer of this foreign movie, I feel Sujoy Ghosh had kept the movie running on his laptop while he shot the film alongside on the sets. Expected some improvisation from the 'Kahani' storyteller.

After having already seen The Invisible Guest in 2017 n having posted a review of it, two things really pulled me into seeing this official remake : the top notch cinematography n Mr. Bachan. The trailer looked as if they did more expenditure compared to the original n the movie proved it.

The plot is the same but with a small change, in the original, a businessman stands accused of murdering his lover as he was found with the lover's dead body in a locked hotel room. But in this case they made a businesswoman an accused.

The London locations r awesome, the marshland and woodlands of the rural area is picturesque. The spooky hotel a la The Shining in the middle of nowhere really stands out.

Another good aspect is that there r no songs n dance, no hero bashing goons matrix style, no jingoism, no six packs, etc.

An official adaptation of the Spanish Film "The Invisible Guest", Director Sujoy Ghosh's 'BADLA' is an interesting murder-mystery, that keeps you guessing. While not entirely unpredictable neither perfect, this atmospheric film is a ride you wouldn't mind taking.

'BADLA' Synopsis: When top businesswoman Naina (Taapsee) is accused of murdering her lover, she seeks help from a prolific lawyer Badal Gupta (Amitabh Bachchan) to defend her. Naina says she is innocent, but is she telling the truth?

'BADLA' is a cat and mouse film, where an accused and her lawyer discover each other, while taking us to the back story that involves the murder here in question. And Ghosh, also Writer here, adapts the story well. The mystery unfolds well, and its twisted-ness manages to hold your grip. A particular sub-plot involving a grieving mother (Amrita Singh) is well-done and gives the film a nice emotional spin. Singh, superb in the role, proves how underrated the veteran has remained almost all through her career.

The only glitch in Ghosh's Writing lies in its culmination. And for any suspense murder-mystery, the finale is the most crucial. But, sadly, 'BADLA' lacks the bite here. The main twist in the tale is rather implausible and will make you question it. In short, the film works until the end. A more cleverer end was the need here! The Dialogue are enjoyable. Ghosh's Direction is skilled and well-done. The director is in form this time. Avik Mukhopadhyay's Cinematography captures the grim beauty of Glasgow, brilliantly. Editing is razor-crisp, as the film wraps up under a neat 120-minutes. Art and Costume Design are top-notch. Background Score is first-rate.

Performance-Wise: Taapsee and Amitabh challenge each other with arresting turns. Taapsee captures the flawed woman with a fierceness that comes across as natural rather than overdone. And Amitabh, as always, commands the screen. It's been 50 years since this man started working in movies and even 5 decades later, there are a very few who can hold your attention like Bachchan does. In supporting roles, Manav Kaul is underused, while Tony Luke is fantastic and adds to the film's mystery, purely on the strength of his personality.

On the whole, 'BADLA' will keep you guessing. Just don't expect to be blown away when the final suspense reveals. A decent watch!

First thing first, be aware that this movie is a 99% remake of the excellent 2-year-old movie L'accusé (2016). Just switch the genders and the Hispanic actors with hindi ones. In August 2019, both movies are available on Netflix but, for some unexplained reason, Netflix does not connect them in the 'more like this' section. That's weird!

Then, is Badla (2019) a bad remake? Objectively and definitely no! I think bad reviews come from anger at seeing a remake without knowing it. And that's fully understandable. You are now officially warned!

Finally, I catch a glimpse of two possibilities: 1) either you have already seen L'accusé (2016) and I kindly invite you to strongly postpone the screening of this remake, unless you unfortunately suffer from Alzheimer or 2) you haven't already seen L'accusé (2016) and you have the choice between a Hispanic atmosphere or a hindi one.