Bastar: The Naxal Story Review: Adah Sharma starrer film is gruesome

Bastar: The Naxal Story

Producer- Vipul Shah

Director- Sudipto Sen

Cast- Adah Sharma, Indira Tiwari, Subrat Dutt, Yashpal Sharma, Raima Sen, Shilpa Shukla

Platform of Release- Theatres

Rating:

By Jyothi Venkatesh

Drawing inspiration from actual events, this film delves into the Naxal menace in the state of Chhattisgarh, thereby settings out to showcase the extraordinary efforts of a single female police officer Neerja Madhavan (Adaah Sharma) a no-nonsense IPS officer holding a senior CRPF position tasked with quashing the Naxal insurgency, who dares to go above and beyond to quell the Naxal threat.

Here’s a sordid example- A ‘Naxalite’ leader Krishna (played with aplomb by Subrat Dutt) takes an axe and goes hack, hack, hack, one limb falling after another, blood spraying, till there is nothing left of the body but pieces, while the victim’s wife and daughter are made to watch.

For Vipul Amrutlal Shah, Bastar follows the box office success of ‘The Kerala Story,’ and with his director, Vipul now shifts their focus now to the Naxal insurgency in Chhattisgarh. Neerja employs Special Police Officers (SPOs) and the state-run militia, Salwa Judum, to curb Naxal influence in Chhattisgarh.

The biggest drawback of the cumbersome film is that despite a screenplay that lacks strength, though Sen compensates with his skillful depiction of events, there are quite a few moments in the film that may be difficult to watch for the layman.

Also read: Ihana Dhillon on Je Paisa Bolda Hunda: “Handling acting and production together was challenging” – EXCLUSIVE!

The wafer thin plot revolves around Ratna (Indira Tiwari), a tribal woman whose husband is gruesomely killed by Lanka Reddy (Vijay Krishna), a notorious Naxalite. Seeking retribution, Ratna decides to enroll and train to become a Special Police Officer and aids Neerja in her ambitious but daring mission.

Adah Sharma shines in a commanding role, reminding the viewer of her impressive and unparalleled performance in ‘The Kerala Story.’ Portraying an uncompromising police officer, this time she sets out to deliver a sincere portrayal, unafraid to speak her mind even in the presence of senior politicians. On the other hand, new actor Indira Tiwari, embodies a tribal woman, and delivers an effortless brilliant performance that resonates deeply.

Mention must also be made of Vijay Krishna’s portrayal of Lanka Reddy, as he adeptly switches between English and Hindi, exuding menace, besides Raima Sen, Shilpa Shukla, and Yashpal Sharma who also fit their respective cameo roles perfectly.

In a nutshell, the disturbingly brutal and gruesome film succeeds in disturbing the viewer by setting out to showcase the bitter fight between the Naxals and the white collared guys.