This film elaborates upon the quotation it shows in the beginning. Raghu patiently fosters in himself the revenge he must take on the murderers of his wife and son. We have characters that are real as nobody is only the good and the bad. People are not constants like some numbers but change under circumstances. A dual in their behaviour is clear and how their characters shape shift with time.
In the beginning when Laik commits the murder during the robbery, a sense of misbalance is established. However, when Laik is acquitted and proved guilty of his crime and sentenced to jail term for 20 years we get a feeling that justice is somewhat served. Nevertheless, Raghu has a different definition of it and the whole films then builds up on how he restores this balance in his own way. The character of Raghu seems ambiguous at times as we keep guessing what is brewing in his mind. The film would have been better if it oscillated by showing Raghu's mindset in different lights. A more psychological investigation of characters by creating a question in his and our minds if time can heal wounds and make him forget the murderers of his wife and kid but might have had an added intensity to the whole film but on that note, it was bland. In addition, some conversations seemed innocuous. I would break the film into four parts:
1. A crime is committed: The confusion that leads to the murders is well shot as to how accidentally they end up in the car and how the kid accidentally falls off it and the mother panics and is shot. Elliptical cutting keeps us in pace with the events. Initially it seems Laik has things somewhat figured out when he smartly makes his partner escape, surrenders and gives vague answers to police and blurs the investigation. The death of his wife and kid has a devastating impact on Raghu but the whole sequence went away so fast that it failed to register the gravity of the situation. More focus was upon Raghu's loss than on his rage. The flashbacks that were shown later were helpful in establishing the frame of mind that Raghu was in and helped us feel his pain. The jail scene when Raghu meets Laik and calmly listens to his stories and then bursts into beating him showed how angry he was with his lies and dissatisfied with the police proceedings. In the shot where we see the girl's parents, it appeared as if they were in a different place i.e. a world of their own grief and the way Raghu's mother behaves; maybe to show the divide between in-laws (North- South context) and their non-understanding of mutual feelings.
2. Laik goes to jail and Raghu goes to Badlapur: Laik is no more the smart guy but swagger still, he is to be in jail for 20 years and is repeatedly caught in his attempts to escape. We also get the glimpse of the boredom of jail routine, the work, the man sweeping with both hands, the jail mates with their shenanigans. The 15-year jump came as a surprise as I never hoped the revenge would be kept alive for so long and expected something to happen during numerous escapades that Laik foolishly executes. With the entry of Shobha, we get a shocker that Laik has cancer again creating a question whether Raghu's revenge still includes killing Laik. However, the conversation between the two could have been a lot better, Raghu has absolutely no idea on how to put things mildly, and he rather talks in plain 1+1=2 analogies. There are times in this film that makes us doubt about how Raghu will take revenge. If not then why is he living the isolated and aimless life, why is the film titled so, and why are we watching it.
3. Life outside: Raghu finds out about Laik's partner Harman and grants him plea. This part shows the glimpses of little things that a long imprisoned Laik enjoys. In addition, we see Raghu seemingly going up and down Pune and maybe plotting his moves. The acting talents of Varun Dhawan came at handy as we had little clue what his character was up to and how far he was willing to go with his act, in the way he delivered his dialogues, his brooding stares and his reactions to the Harmans. The policemen were of secondary importance by the lazy ways they carry out their investigations, react to media, their propensity in not accepting their fault and their obvious lust for money.
4. The Conclusion: It gets clear that time has not affected Raghu in anyway and he has taken the proverb of serving revenge cold damn seriously. The way Raghu acts all Thor for his Robin and uses Shobha shows how committed and lost he is in his revenge. The final encounter between Laik and Raghu is the high point of the film. The way the strangling sequence is shot is very real. Raghu leaves Laik to die but the moment when Laik returns to his room after a certain silent pause and delivers the truth to Raghu is very powerful.
This film is also about: The way Laik's mother lives a lonely life, never gives up on him and how he always takes her for granted. Raghu asks Jhimli to call the police and we know the pathetic conditions in which sex-workers live because of the anonymity and nature of their profession. We see in the train the media frenzy and insensitivity of fellow passengers with volatile memory upon seeing Raghu. Raghu uses women in this film: Abuse of Jhimli, treatment of Harman's wife, use of Shobha as an alibi, and Laik's mother to get information.
In the beginning when Laik commits the murder during the robbery, a sense of misbalance is established. However, when Laik is acquitted and proved guilty of his crime and sentenced to jail term for 20 years we get a feeling that justice is somewhat served. Nevertheless, Raghu has a different definition of it and the whole films then builds up on how he restores this balance in his own way. The character of Raghu seems ambiguous at times as we keep guessing what is brewing in his mind. The film would have been better if it oscillated by showing Raghu's mindset in different lights. A more psychological investigation of characters by creating a question in his and our minds if time can heal wounds and make him forget the murderers of his wife and kid but might have had an added intensity to the whole film but on that note, it was bland. In addition, some conversations seemed innocuous. I would break the film into four parts:
1. A crime is committed: The confusion that leads to the murders is well shot as to how accidentally they end up in the car and how the kid accidentally falls off it and the mother panics and is shot. Elliptical cutting keeps us in pace with the events. Initially it seems Laik has things somewhat figured out when he smartly makes his partner escape, surrenders and gives vague answers to police and blurs the investigation. The death of his wife and kid has a devastating impact on Raghu but the whole sequence went away so fast that it failed to register the gravity of the situation. More focus was upon Raghu's loss than on his rage. The flashbacks that were shown later were helpful in establishing the frame of mind that Raghu was in and helped us feel his pain. The jail scene when Raghu meets Laik and calmly listens to his stories and then bursts into beating him showed how angry he was with his lies and dissatisfied with the police proceedings. In the shot where we see the girl's parents, it appeared as if they were in a different place i.e. a world of their own grief and the way Raghu's mother behaves; maybe to show the divide between in-laws (North- South context) and their non-understanding of mutual feelings.
2. Laik goes to jail and Raghu goes to Badlapur: Laik is no more the smart guy but swagger still, he is to be in jail for 20 years and is repeatedly caught in his attempts to escape. We also get the glimpse of the boredom of jail routine, the work, the man sweeping with both hands, the jail mates with their shenanigans. The 15-year jump came as a surprise as I never hoped the revenge would be kept alive for so long and expected something to happen during numerous escapades that Laik foolishly executes. With the entry of Shobha, we get a shocker that Laik has cancer again creating a question whether Raghu's revenge still includes killing Laik. However, the conversation between the two could have been a lot better, Raghu has absolutely no idea on how to put things mildly, and he rather talks in plain 1+1=2 analogies. There are times in this film that makes us doubt about how Raghu will take revenge. If not then why is he living the isolated and aimless life, why is the film titled so, and why are we watching it.
3. Life outside: Raghu finds out about Laik's partner Harman and grants him plea. This part shows the glimpses of little things that a long imprisoned Laik enjoys. In addition, we see Raghu seemingly going up and down Pune and maybe plotting his moves. The acting talents of Varun Dhawan came at handy as we had little clue what his character was up to and how far he was willing to go with his act, in the way he delivered his dialogues, his brooding stares and his reactions to the Harmans. The policemen were of secondary importance by the lazy ways they carry out their investigations, react to media, their propensity in not accepting their fault and their obvious lust for money.
4. The Conclusion: It gets clear that time has not affected Raghu in anyway and he has taken the proverb of serving revenge cold damn seriously. The way Raghu acts all Thor for his Robin and uses Shobha shows how committed and lost he is in his revenge. The final encounter between Laik and Raghu is the high point of the film. The way the strangling sequence is shot is very real. Raghu leaves Laik to die but the moment when Laik returns to his room after a certain silent pause and delivers the truth to Raghu is very powerful.
This film is also about: The way Laik's mother lives a lonely life, never gives up on him and how he always takes her for granted. Raghu asks Jhimli to call the police and we know the pathetic conditions in which sex-workers live because of the anonymity and nature of their profession. We see in the train the media frenzy and insensitivity of fellow passengers with volatile memory upon seeing Raghu. Raghu uses women in this film: Abuse of Jhimli, treatment of Harman's wife, use of Shobha as an alibi, and Laik's mother to get information.