Racy revenge drama

Even when he was a one-man industry as India Today called him in the 1980s, he was unparalleled. A good 50 years into the industry, Amitabh Bachchan has still no peers. A classic case study of brand extension, the superstar of the 1970s is still a force to reckon with, as two generations have made their presence under the arc lights in this period. 

Having made the grade with appropriate choice of roles in a series of hit films in the last decade, the big B adds one more feather to his cap with his latest film ‘Badla’. Adapting his latest venture from a 2017 Spanish film ‘The Invisible Guest’, director Sujoy Ghosh takes enough care to nativise it with the right blend of mythology (Mahabharata, in this case) and old-fashioned mind games, typical of cloak-and-dagger murder mysteries.

Starring Taapsee Pannu, who is seen with the titan after her path-breaking role in ‘Pink’, the two-hour plus film roots itself solidly and engagingly in an environment, which is a steady unravelling of a murder which takes place for which the heroine is accused. Out on bail, she engages the services of a top- notch lawyer, Amitabh Bachchan, who charges by the hour to defend her and enable her to clear her name.

Right from the opening frames, the film hooks the viewer as Bachchan goes about his job with a clinical precision while Taapsee plays footsie with him, now and then, as she narrates the entire sequence of events for him to prepare a rock-solid counter-defence.  

The unfolding tale has everything to keep the audience engrossed – a sizzling extra-marital affair which Taapsee regrets getting into ( Tony Luke in a good role), a distraught mother  (Amrita Singh) who seeks justice for her dead son ably supported by her spouse and a milieu which confounds the viewers whether it is all for real or there is something more than what is being seen or shown.

Steering clear from melodrama or jerky emotional twists, Sujoy Ghosh stays focused till the end and delivers an eminently watchable movie. He has a winner with the star cast too, with Bachchan literally towering above everyone else, while the female stars too put in polished, gripping performances. For lovers of mystery and intrigue, it is a highly recommended film.