Helmed by Neena Gupta and Sanjay Mishra - both veterans and exceptionally talented performers - Vadh is a gripping crime thriller, the sort that takes one all in, right from the beginning to the end.
The plot revolves around the issues of morality and ethics, selfishness and generosity, crime, and the ensuing remorse or the lack of it. What happens when a peace-loving couple is pushed to the limits? How does one get rid of a monstrous goon who continues to harass, blackmail and intimidate every single night, and unleashes violence and mental torture? How does one justify the committing of murder?
In the city of Gwalior lives an elderly couple whose only child works abroad. The problem is that both aged parents keep waiting endlessly for their ungrateful NRI son Guddu (Diwakar Kumar) to send them money as they are constantly harassed for the repayment of a loan which was taken to send the son abroad for further studies. S
Shambhunath Mishra (Sanjay Mishra) and his wife Manju (Neena Gupta) live a middle-class life, with loads of love, respect and regard for each other. Their everydays are full of peace, quiet and good humour, except when a local goon humiliates them every so often - using their home for sex with his partners, and treating them as puppets in their own home, to be at his beck and call.
This is a period of the 90s when the internet was only accessible at a cyber cafe and so every time the couple dials a video call abroad, they burn their pockets by over 300 rupees for a few minutes. But even then, all the money and the effort spent amounts to nothing because the son is a rude, selfish and ungrateful lad who dismisses his parents' need for money as just another excuse to make demands. Years ago, Shambhunath Mishra educated his son to be an engineer and then upon his insistence to go abroad for further studies, took a huge loan that remains unpaid to date. The loan sharks keep coming home and harassing the parents and all they ask of their son is for money so that the loan can be repaid. When this does not happen and the thug Prajapati Pandey (Saurabh Sachdeva) stops at nothing to humiliate and demean them, Mishra, an otherwise quiet and peaceful man, takes matters into his own hands and kills the thug in cold blood. He does away with the body, and crushes any remaining evidence. At this point, the plot zooms into the minds of the two principal characters to explore the interplay of morality, righteousness and justice.
Co-directed by Jaspal Singh Sandhu and Rajeev Barnwal, Vadh leads the viewer deeper and deeper into it, frame after frame. The backdrop, the characters, the screenplay as a whole is as close to reality as it can get.
The editing is crisp and the narrative flows seamlessly. There are four principal charters who make for the most part of the film - the anguished parents, the thug and the inspector Shakti Singh (Manav Vij) who grows suspicious of Shambhunath and tried to pin him down for murder. Except he won't do it because he knows that Mishra's intentions were not wrong, the circumstances brought out the worst in him. What seems to be a bit unbelievable is the manner in which the character of Guddu is portrayed.
It comes across as far-fetched to see a lad completely washing his hands off his parents, at a time when they find themselves in such misery which has resulted from his own aims and ambitions. At one point, Shambunath laments, 'Beti hoti toh phir baat hi kuch aur hoti (If we had a daughter, it would have been a different story).'
This may not be the first time such a story is being narrated, as we have had Baghban before, as well as Andhadhun. But this is cinema that is as realistic and edgy as it can get. And for that reason alone, Vadh is a promising film that must not be skipped.
Movie: Vadh
Cast: Sanjay Mishra, Neena Gupta, Manav Vij, Saurabh Sachdeva
Director: Jaspal Singh Sandhu, Rajeev Barnwal
Rating: 4/5
