NH 10
Director: Navdeep Singh
Writers: Sudip Sharma
Stars: Anushka Sharma, Ravi Beniwal, Siddharth Bharadwaj
Strength: Story, Acting
Weakness: Second-half falling in standards compared to the first
Runtime: 115 minutes
Rating: 3/5
PLOT: A woman, stacked against all odds, manages to not just stick it out but indeed give it back.
REVIEW: A taut and riveting thriller, NH10 paints a disturbing portrait of an inherently violent village on the edge of a glittering boomtown. NH10 centres on an innocuous road trip that turns into a nightmare for a well-heeled Gurgaon couple. As the two ride deeper and deeper into trouble, the film ventures into a dystopia where human life is of little value. This is a landscape where might is right, and women are disposable commodities that are completely subservient to brutal societal diktats. This belt is within shouting distance of the swanky office blocks and the luxury residential high-rises that dot the NCR skyline, but utter lawlessness, senseless criminality, police apathy and honour killings are rampant here.
Navdeep Singh, who gave us the delightful 'Manorama Six Feet Under', is back after eight years with this gritty, edgy, uncompromising film. Half of Navdeep Singh's battle is won at the scripting stage itself, as here is a story guaranteed to jolt most of us living in urban cocoons out of our reverie, forcing us to look into certain grim truths that exist right outside the city limits.
Anushka Sharma plays Meera with admirable conviction. She goes all out to play this well fleshed-out character of an independent professional who is suddenly and violently thrown in a situation where she has to not only save her and her husband's life, but also more importantly, hold on to shreds of her dignity as a woman. Neil Bhoopalam gives good support. Darshan Kumaar is excellent as the ruthless Satbir. Deepti Naval's small but powerful role is beyond her comfort zone but she delivers it with admirably.
In short, NH10 is an adventurous Bollywood film that breaks the shackles of convention and is none the worse for it. Don't miss out.
Reviewed by Intisab Shahriyar
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