Badlapur: The end is also a must see as like the beginning

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Badlapur's claim is don't miss the beginning. And actually true. I missed the first 15 minutes and through the film I was clueless, however, could join the dots, once I requested the cinema hall incharge to stand back for 10 minutes (in the next show) and watch those lost 10 minutes. And boy those first 10 minutes really really lays the foundation for the film. The typical revenge noire and the clichés attached therefore can be safely assumed to be missing from this Shriram Raghavan film. Infact he seems to have got his mojo back since the Johnny Gaddar days. In between was the forgettable Agent Vinod. The first 20 minutes of the film lays the foundation for the next 2 1/2 hours of the story. Nawaz, Varun, Huma, Radhika Apte, Vinay Pathak, Ashwini Kalsekar, Yami, Divya Dutta to name a few. Each one pitched in perfectly. However, Badlapur owes it to the director and his vision. Shriram has always focused on the script and that remains the king, Johnny Gaddar or Ek Haseena Thi or his work from FTII, all have focused on the script. None of the characters are allowed the opportunity to go beyond the realm of the script and that is fascinating indeed for us to watch. The film also holds itself amongst swings too. One one end you root for Varun but hate him for his atrocities for his excessives too. You want Nawaz to be killed yet you seem to somehow fall for his helplessness. One waits for 15 years for a revenge and then in the brouhaha of the moment, it looks an all too trivial an issue to be accomplished. Infact, the classic line where Liak (Nawaz's character) asks Raghu (Varun's character) now that he has killed the right and wrong people, and spared those he had to, what will Raghu do, which is where the film ends too. Badlapur will stand out for those moments. Some say it is dark and edgy, well it is quite Tarantinoish in nature with shades of Guy Ritchie, if one has to ask me. There are moments where you feel a little let down and those remain as the loose ends in the movie which could have been strung in. Raghu's desperation or Nawaz's angst or for that matter Jhimli's (Huma) character could have more moments to explore too. Perhaps there was this rush to reach the fervour all too soon. It would have been better if the characters could have stayed on for those moments a little longer. For instance, where Jhimli and Raghu meet the first time, there are enough moments to dwell on the moments and bring out the frustation, anger and deliberations within Varun as opposed to Huma's wilted charm and demeanour. The one moment where it came out amply, where Varun watches her wife Yami Gautam die in front of her. The scene was the longest it could hold on and a reason why Varun is of the rising stars of the generation. Yet in all it's entirety Badlapur is a definite see, and as the film claims don't miss the beginning, I would say don't miss the end too.

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