Badlapur

3.5/5 The last twenty minutes derail Badlapur and impede it from becoming one of the better thrillers of the "revenge-is-a-dish-best-served-cold" sub-genre. The first hundred minutes have many brutal, in your face moments. The first scene is in a master class of its own. It is immediately arresting and horrifying and dares you to turn your eyes from it. Shriram Raghavan's direction and his knack of storytelling were the primary drivers which kept me glued. He made me sympathize for even the worst of his characters. That says something about his Elmore Leonard like ability to create likable "bad" guys and repellent "good" guys. Varun Dhawan is a revelation. As the grieving husband and father, he pulls off the act with unexpected panache. His eyes glitter with hatred and the body language exudes barely suppressed menace. Nawazzudin Siddiqui's role is not that of a conventional villain. He does not froth or shout. With his white hair and frail physique, he demands sympathy. However, as usual he brings understated nuance to his character of an incarcerated bank robber. His anger barely broke the surface. But when it did, it left me chilled to the core. Radhika Apte steals the limelight. I did not know of her before viewing this. Amongst a cast which has, many other known female faces (Huma Quereshi, Yami Gautam and Divya Dutta), she clearly steals the cake with her portrayal of a wife who will go to any length for her husband. The build up to the climax and the denouement itself were anti- climactic, somewhat of a damp squib and took away a little something from what is likely to be remembered as one of the top movies of the year.

BADLAPUR - The movie starts with a African quote , 'THE AXE FORGET , BUT THE TREE NEVER' .

This quote almost describes the main theme of the movie. Its the Tree(Raghu played by Varun) who wants to take revenge from the Axe(Laik play by Siddique). But its not a typical revenge drama in which we have a perfect hero without any sins inside him , neither the villain is a total sinful person. Rather the characters are of Grey nature and have both goods and bads inside them. It almost feels like it has been made by Anurag Kashyap , it also have the typical awkward comic situations like of which we have seen in Gangs Of Wassypur , and its good to see that their exist another director (Sriram) who can make movies like Kashyap. But one thing that lacks in this film as compared to Kashyap's film is that the shocking element. Kashyap always keep some twists in the film to shock us which was absent in the film. In an interview Varun have said that this film will raise some debates , and i agree with that. Normally Bollywood movies show that there is a villain , who kills any person from Hero's family and our Hero take his revenge , its for his inner peace as well as for justice to some extent. But the real question is that , is revenge is a right solution to compensate the murder of your loved ones. Is killing back the murderer will give you peace , i don't think so , and the same thing has been proved by the climax which is too much unconventional as it shows the revenge didn't do anything good to our hero as he too is a sinful person and has done his part of sins for the sake of revenge . Also the villain shows the white side of his character shockingly. Which may not be liked by everyone. The film also ask a question that whether its needed to give a person who has done a tragic sin a second chance .

As i said the movie lacks the shocking element , because of that some scenes felt flat as our hero doesn't seems like he has a particular plan and is only doing random things. Also the revenge drama only starts in the 2nd half so in the first half the movie actually doesn't move much in the first half. Varun Dhawan has got a lot of complaints that he cant do different roles other that comic character as he is perfect for comedy. This will prove all those persons wrong (i am also one of them). Its not like he has nail it totally but for an actor just three film old (all the three films being too light on nature) he has done a pretty good job. And he will only get better from here. Now he is a threat for his generation of actors. To write about Siddique is being difficult now a days. He shows so much perfection to his character that leave no words to describe it. For me its actually too difficult for a hero to shine in a film in which Siddique plays a villain. Siddique has stolen the lime light from Salmaan in kick and now he has stolen all the praise from Varun(Luckily in Kahani & Talaash Siddique doesn't have a too much important role otherwise he should have stolen it from Vidya and Aamir too) . And his next will be with Srk in RAEES , be aware Shahrukh. Among female leads i would appreciate Radhika Apte who has done a good job specially in the scene where he has to create voices to show fake sex. Songs doesn't interrupt the movie at all as they appeared in background. Editing could have been better as i think revenge dramas if not directed by Kashyap like Gangs of Wassypur should not be more then 2hrs , and it is 20min long. I so much wanted this movie to be directed by Anurag Kashyap , he could have made this better. Never the less movie is dark , and by dark i mean too dark , there are dark cinematography , dark humor , strong sexual scenes(for which the movie has been given A certificate so family audience should stay away from it). Not for every type of audience , couldn't recommend it to every one , so watch it at your own risk. 7/10 By ANuP APu KuMaR

I think it is Ugly, in the recent crop of Bollywood flicks, that matches the grimness of Badlapur. Whereas conventional Bollywood flicks are painted in colourful palette, Badlapur is done in shades of grey that is never afraid to go dark, but refuses to go white. Its darkness made me swoon on my seats. Its boldness enthralled me. This is the noir Bollywood has been waiting for. In Badlapur, the director has created two main characters that turn the very conventional ideas of protagonist and antagonist on its head and delivery a dark, comic, intense thriller that glued me to my seat in the first half, but falters in the second half where it tries to give intensity to the changing dynamics between the two main characters, but falters because the screenplay in the second half could not throw the same punch it did in the first half. The build up was definitely great and it showed itself in the stronger moments of second half, but as the story veered to its climax, it starts turning the whole revenge story upside down which is beautiful, but could not bring the same intensity and sharpness. Nawazuddin Siddiqui is the star of the movie. He is a phenomenon. Varun Dhawan comes second best. His acting is fine and his acting shows the intensity his character requires, but his voice does not live up to it. Overall, a must watch. Not for those who love the usual Bollywood fare.

It's a must watch movie who usually like Hollywood revenge kinda movie Badlapur Offers a cinematic excellence with a rider that there's violence and gore. Badlapur is a complete performance driven film. This Film deals a dark humor revenge .....Badlapur is a film that will find patrons amidst the multiplex crowd. And yes, it is a film that will continue to live-on in the minds of cinema lovers for a long time to come.

Acting = 7.5/10 (Varun Dhawan's best acted Movie yet to find growing edges and nawaj's act as usual at it's best you will enjoy his act more then anything in this film)

Directing = 9.5/10 (Director Sriram Raghavan's crime thriller is about vengeance and forgiveness all right, but one thing that the film isn't is conventional. Badlapur Movie with many shades significantly enhancing the effect of its pivotal dramatic conflict.In conclusion, Badlapur might not be in the Ek Hasina Thi and Johnny Gaddar league, but it is a happy sign that Sriram Raghavan has left Agent Vinod behind.

Story = 8.1/10 (Badlapur is a Fantastic movie that suffuses on screen - a deftly written story, spectacular performances and an intelligently layered screenplay. What works best here is the film's unpredictability. From the minute it begins, you're latched to your seat with your heart throbbing in your mouth and your throat frequently choking up. For the sheer impact the movie conjures up, writer- director Sriram Raghavan deserves a bow)

Climax = 7.9/10 (While the first half keeps you firmly in its grip, the second half starts meandering a little till it captures you back with an absolutely unforeseeable climax. What you mainly take away from this movie is its core; a story (written by Sriram Raghavan) that tells us that most often the situation is the villain. And, perhaps, each of us is capable of turning a criminal when faced with an extreme situation.)

Why to Watch : If you are fan of Hollywood style of Movie, This Love Revange is far better then any other Indian Movie even good from Amir Starer "Gajini" or John Starer "Force". and obviously if u are fan of Nawaj's acting.

Why to not : Unmature act of Varun Dhawan who is trying his best.

What to Do : Go Watch it in Theater you will enjoy it for sure.

I was really impressed to see something this good from bollywood. The acting was phenomenal from nawaz, varun, huma and vinay. But the best part is the direction. There was sufficient character development. U feel sympathy even for the bad guys. Sriram raghavan is a brilliant director. The climax between varun and nawaz is another highlight of this film. Revenge can send people on a journey that will take em places far darker than they would have ever dared go before. This film is also about the madness a person is capable of. This film is dark, violent, explicit n at times disturbing. The scene wher nawaz keeps on trying to escape from the prison was funny.