What happens when a woman is found in a hotel room with a dead body and she swears she isn’t the murderer, yet nobody else has gone in or out of the room? It becomes an interesting suspense thriller! Badla is a story of a businesswoman Naina Sethi (Taapsee Pannu), who is is a murder suspect in the murder of Arjun her lover. Arjun’s murder is connected to another murder of a teenager whose mother Rani Kaur (Amrita Singh) is on the hunt for justice.
There are so many questions like whether the two murders are connected, who the actual killer is, whether Naina is guilty or innocent. In the midst of all these questions about who the culprit is, lawyer Badal Gupta (Amitabh Bachchan) is the only one who can save Naina by helping her win the case. Badal is known for winning all the cases in his career. Badal is Naina’s only saviour since her husband and child don’t want to have anything to do with her.
Most of the scenes take place in a room with and with Amitabh playing the lawyer and Tapsee in the courtroom once again, Badla kind of reminds us of Pink but the story though is very different.Based on the 2017 Spanish thriller Contratiempo (The Invisible Guest), Badla is thrilling and engaging.
Set in Scotland, cinematographer Avik Mukhopadhyay has done a great job in making the frames look beautiful and real.The music is as intense as the murder mystery, which helps the feel and pace of the film.
Amitabh as always is a pleasure to watch and you start warming up to him as the film progresses. His entry in the film is superb! Need we say more? Taapsee who has donned a nude look in the film, looks gorgeous. Like all her other films she pulls off this challenging role with ease but it is Amrita Singh as Rani Kaur who is extremely impressive in the film. She is absolutely convincing as a vulnerable yet strong mother and it’s great to watch her play the part. She should do more films!
There are a few flaws in the film like the characters being questioned by Indian journalists even in Scotland, smartphones being used as timers and unrealistic looking newspapers etc. but all said and done Sujoy Ghosh’s Badla is a well made thriller, that does keep you on the edge of your seat!
Go watch Badla to find out who the real culprit is!
