NH10

I was desperately waiting for NH10 as I have been an ardent fan of Navdeep Singh's earlier work in Manorama Six-Feet Under ( probably one of my favourite films) and I would say I was not disappointed with the violent and gruesome thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

A young married couple's vacation goes haywire when they intervene in a local gangland's affair on the national highway.

The best part of NH10 is it remains true to its theme as shown in the trailer. Welcome to the world of badlands which shows the sad reality, the struggle of a visitor asking for help, the obscure status of women in the village and selfish police officers who barely do their duty. The film is bloody, blunt and gruesome which is very much required in the plot. Hats off to Navdeep Singh for creating the tension with what-will- happen-next era. The length of the film is 115 mins and would not let you blink-your-eyes for a second. Singh also does well in directing the film with raw and rustic background of North India along with nice background score which gels well with the film. On the flip side, couple of scenes were overly-stretched. In a wild desert and dark night, how come Anushka Sharma was able to find Neil back after they were forced to part ways in the beginning of their chase and probably the climax though beautifully shot, similar to the Hollywood thriller Eden Lake, could have been more better executed. Nevertheless, the taut script and editing adds crispiness to the pace. Anushka Sharma steals the show with her fiery dialogues and solid performance. She gets into the character with ease. Watch for her when she patiently waits for gangleader struggling to getup on his feet. Darshaan Kumar will surprise you as the gang leader. Deepti Naval, as usual, is great in a cameo.

Overall, Nh10 is one of the most provocative and terrifying edge-of-seat thrillers of the year. Excellent 4/5

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NH 10- 2015 Director: Navdeep Singh

Director Navdeep Singh is back with another gritty thriller. Starring Anushka Sharma and Neil Bhoopalam, NH10 is a thriller based on real-life incidents that exposes us to the harsh reality of life. NH 10 is definitely not meant for typical bollywood audience. It is something different. Something combined with fear, love and how a young woman cope with such troublesome situation. When I downloaded the songs I was not expecting the movie to be SO terrifically awesome because the songs were not very catchy but after watching the movie I was speechless. Year 2014 turned the tables and there were many directors who actually played the role of being feminist and made a lot brilliant movies highlighting women and their issues in our society. In Urban areas of countries like India Pakistan Bangladesh etc Honor killing is considered as a pride but unfortunately it is called HEIGHT OF BEING IGNORANT.

Performance-Wise: Anushka Sharma, who also produced the film, delivers a huge, dramatic performance. She displays helplessness with sincerity, but breathers fire when it comes to destroying the villains. This is undoubtedly most power packed performance. Neil Bhoopalam is fairly good in the limited role he appears in. Darshan Kumaar is effortlessly wicked, enacting the chief villain with command. On the whole, 'NH10' is Tough Enough!

A good honest attempt by the director, producer and the lead actress, but the story and the characters let down the film badly. Every character is a cliché - every character behaves in a manner which is quite ridiculous. I did not feel that Anushka was in any real danger at any time. The gang chasing her was so incompetent. I did not feel any sympathy towards her or Neil. They had themselves to blame for the peril they were in. The only good scene in the entire movie is a sequence right at the end - but that is too little, too late to rescue the film. I was expecting a lot darker and serious movie - disappointed.

Lighting up her cigarette with the matchstick lying deserted from its owner, Anushka, with the slightest hold on to the edge of her sanity and an enigmatic facial expression, picks up the inanimate steel built strut from the ground and with the shrill, clanging sound of the steel being dragged along the concrete road, she lays down the groundwork for her revenge.

Navdeep Singh has not only made the most out of a road trip gone wild but has also filled in each of the scenes a continual thrill, of psyche driving in a meandering path of moral uncertainty and of the exceptional screenplay with Darshan Kumaar as the village ruffian and Sharma as the shackle breaker.

Keeping itself as the very point of interest throughout its complete time span of a near-2 hour crime drama, the movie becomes more and more worthy of your extol as you seek deeper through the story. While staying perfectly true to realism, NH10, with excellent direction, a finely crafted story and brilliant performances, shines as Singh's undiluted masterpiece.

9/10.

One of the great pluses here is "NH10" didn't feel the need to wedge in a song & dance number like they do in 99% of Bollywood films. With it, I wouldn't have been able to sit all the way through. Generally, the acting isn't bad; kinda weak, though, in the male lead. I recommended this R film (profanity, violence) simply for the fact it told the story without a ridiculous forced song & dance number and it moved along swiftly.