For those who do not know much about Naxalism, its growth and the recent issues in India, Chakravyuh could be a good beginning to know more about the issue. But for those who have been in touch with the subject, the movie is a let down. The irony is that the movie touches on a lot of related issues, but fails to take it further. The movie starts with a brief introduction about Naxalism and an industrial group Mahanta Steel (whose boss lives in a 40 room-house in London; a clear reference to Vedanta Steel and its' owner) and within 10 minutes the drama shifts to Nandighat (reference to Nandigram). Adil Khan is posted in Nandighat for a special operation (to nab key naxals). In between he implants his friend Kabir into Naxal gang and things go on as planned for some time. Slowly Kabir has a change of heart and this is the main plot of the movie. While the movie should get credit for depicting a sensitive issue in a largely unbiased manner, with fine performances from some of the key actors, there are many places which leave the audience unimpressed. Throughout the movie, right from the first scene, it appears that the Director was in a rush to tell his story as quickly as possible. Characters come and go in a flash. Songs coming out of no where, 'item' numbers in the middle of a village, computers which run without electricity in a remote village, and little explanation behind what characters do are some of the things which further disturb whatever tempo the film builds in bits and pieces. The reason for Arjun Rampal's (Adil Khan) indifference towards Abhay Deol (Kabir) was both frivolous and hilarious. Similarly the manner in which Kabir becomes a part of Naxals was also dealt quite casually. One day the Naxals are in Jharkhand (Latehar) and the next day they are near Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh). These are some of the places where one feels that more attention should have been paid. Overall 7 star for the effort, from taking up a sensitive issue, and for fine performances by the actors. Marks deducted for direction which is lose in many places, faulty story line at places, and poor editing and music.
Review of Chakravyuh
