NH10 Movie Review

Navdeep Singh earned plaudits from everywhere with his multi-layered thriller ‘Manorama Six Feet Under’. After that he tried to make a zombie comedy called ‘Shaadi of the Dead’ but that was stuck in the cans for far too long. Now he’s finally back with his second directorial feature called ‘NH10’ with ‘PK’ star Anushka Sharma acting and co-producing the film. It was a bold step for a relatively new actress to go the extra mile and produce a film so early in her career. The promos have suggested an intense suspense action thriller. Does it live up to the promise?

Story: Arjun (Neil Bhoopalam) and Meera (Anushka) are a young newly married couple who live in Gurgaon and occupy some of the highest places in the corporate setup there. However, their marriage has been topsy turvy. To spice things up they decide to go on a weekend retreat. On the way to their destination they stop at a dhaba and see some goons beating up a couple. Arjun, trying to show his oneupmanship interferes and then gets booted out. But he doesn’t give up and follows the car of the goons and this is when he messes up his and Meera’s life as the goons go the full hog trying to make life hell for the couple. The twists are something that should be left for the viewers to see for themselves. Tip: brace yourself for nerve-wracking fun!

NH10 Review: Navdeep Singh knows his subject matter very well and this is seen from the detailing of his characters and setting. The film makes a bold statement against the rampant misogyny, honour killings in Northern India. But the statement is made without ever losing the plot. NH10 will fill you with rage not only because of the actions of the antagonists, but also because of the protagonists. The twists and false alarms remind us of slasher and horror films but they are done quite effectively. However, NH10 can be best enjoyed with an unexpected suspension of belief. And because the milieu is a realistic one and the treatment is seeped in realism, some plot elements just feel odd.

[advert]

NH10 has been given the minimal treatment with the way it has been shot. The cinematography is not extravagant and does its job efficiently. The editing is slick as the length of NH10 has been kept under 2 hours. The background music has been skilfully employed with the most basic of sounds standing out and does a good job at creeping out the viewer. The action in NH10 has also been done very realistically and the metamorphosis of Meera’s character would not have made an impact if not for the action scenes.

Also Read: NH10 Critic Reviews

Performances: The film stands on Anushka Sharma’s shoulders as she is the one who is the lead in the film. She does a fine job portraying the turmoil of Meera, her helplessness and then her fierce transformation, but you still feel that maybe, just maybe, she could have gone even deeper into the role. Neil Bhoopalam is out of depth in his role and cannot strike a chord with the audience, but that also has to do with the general unlikability of his character. Darshan Kumar who played Mary Kom’s husband in Mary Kom is a fine actor and is awesome as the antagonist Satbir. His gazes and stares can scare even the stone hearted. It will be interesting to see his trajectory as an actor. Deepti Naval shows up for a few scenes and is good.

Conclusion: NH10 is nerve-wracking in the truest form, not because it shows you ghosts but because it shows you the ghastly underbelly of North India and the misfortune that falls upon couples who make the mistake of falling in love. Navdeep Singh has done a decent job of highlighting such an important issue by merging the need to make such an important statement with a Kill Bil-esque transformation of his lead character Meera. NH10 is not for the faint hearted as some of the scenes will drop your jaw to its extreme level. If you are in the mood for a fun outing at the cinemas with friends and family, then it is better to skip NH10. If you want to see a good intense thriller then it can’t get any better than NH10 as far as Bollywood is concerned.

Rating: Go for it if you like thrillers!