Director: Sudipto Sen
Cast: Adah Sharma, Vijay Krishna, Yashpal Sharma, Shilpa Shukla, Raima Sen
Where to watch: Theatres
Rating: 3 stars
IG Neerja Madhavan (Adah Sharma) embarks on a mission to eliminate Naxalities from Bastar and hunt down the leader of extremists Lanka Reddy (Vijay Krishna). But ahead of her are several hurdles, even from the administration. Will Neerja succeed in hunting down Lanka? Can she 'liberate' the people of Bastar who are supposedly living in the fear of Maoists? Bastar attempts to answer these questions.
In 2023, Producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah, director Sudipto Sen, and actress Adah Sharma shocked the masses with their controversial film, The Kerala Story. When the same team comes up with a new film, you know that it will not be an easy watch. Like The Kerala Story, their new collaboration is also said to be inspired by true events. It is interspered with visuals that will make you uncomfortable. Bastar one-ups The Kerala Story in the revulsion and disturbing content department.
The film shows Naxals in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar as cruel overlords of that area who are terrorising the locals. It begins with visuals of the Maoist leader Lanka chopping a person into pieces just because he hoisted the Indian flag outside his house. The film paints Naxal insurgents as barbarians who are cruel and commit atrocities just to stay in power. To showcase their cruelty, director Sudipto Sen uses several scenes and sequences that are bound to leave sensitive viewers disturbed. Several moments in this two-and-a-half-hour almost made me walk out of the theatre.
The movie runs on two parallel narratives. On one side, there is a court case in which Lanka's associates call Neerja a terrorist, who they claim is killing innocents in the guise of a mission. On the other side, we see a pregnant Neerja fighting the insurgents. The film also adds a complicated sideplot of Lanka aiming to topple the Delhi government and replacing it with a single-party dictatorship.
Adah Sharma is the star of this film. She has shown great improvement as a performer. Whether it is gunning down an extremist, or confronting her concerned husband, Adah lets her eyes emote and that is a big win for her. Vijay Krishna- the antagonist, also makes an impact. He makes the character quite hateworthy, which is what was required of him. Yashpal Sharma also shines in his part despite limited screen time. Raima Sen and Shilpa Shukla also put up believable performances.
The film's runtime is one of the issues. The parallel narratives running concurrently confuse you initially. The gore and violence also goes overboard on many occasions. But, the makers have made sure to serve their purpose, giving their narrative in a manner that looks unfiltered and is definitely loud. Overall, Bastar: The Naxal Story is impactful but gruesome, violent, disturbing, and downright shocking.
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