The John Abraham-starrer “Batla House” is all set to hit the screens tomorrow (August 15) on the occasion of Independence day. Directed by Nikkhil Advani, “Batla House”, which also features actors Mrunal Thakur and Ravi Kishan, is inspired by the alleged police encounter operation that took place in Delhi, in the wake of the serial blasts of 2008.
Starting off with the character portrayals, noted actor John essays DCP Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, who headed the Batla House encounter that took place in New Delhi’s Jamia Nagar. He is perfectly cast in the role of a committed ACP, who is a man of few words, and arguably gives his career’s best performance so far. Throughout the film, John Abraham’s demeanour is stoic with a permanently furrowed brow. You see a thaw in his disposition only towards the tail end during the court case. It’s an all-consuming role that John Abraham internalises with his body language and intensity.
Actors Ravi Kishan as Inspector Kishan Kumar Verma and Mrunal Thakur Nandita are equally well woven in the plot. Mrunal provides the emotional pillar to what is otherwise a disorderly story about struggle of police force.
Similarly, Nora Fatehi’s character is well weaved in but her dance number seems a force fit in an otherwise grim narrative. Rajesh Sharma is under-utilised, but does justice to the part offered. Manish Chaudhari as Police Commissioner Jaivir is impressive.
As far as the action sequences are concerned, audience can surely feel the tension in air.
To conclude, it is safe to say that on the occasion of Independence day, a film like Batla House is needed in order to make us unfold few pages of our history. Despite some of the flaws and loosely written dialogues, director Nikkhil Advani has deftly handled a complex subject.
