Badla - Spoiler Free Film Review

YOU ARE SAFE, THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS NO SPOILERS AT ALL 😊

Tech magnate Naina Sethi (Taapsee) is accused of murdering her clandestine paramour. While the circumstantial evidence suggests that she is guilty, Naina proclaims her innocence with the assertion that a scheming adversary has hatched a sinister conspiracy to ruin her. She has only three hours to prepare her testimony before imminent summons from a judge. Her personal counsel finds himself out of his depths, hence they engage ace lawyer Badal Gupta (Amitabh Bachchan) who not only has an undefeated record at the courts but is also an expert witness coach. 

The story unfolds in the form of a series of flashbacks as Naina expounds her harrowing experience. It almost feels like pieces of an elaborate puzzle gradually but indiscriminately being presented to us.  The film simmers before it approaches its boiling point and it is this slow burn that makes it quite spellbinding. With every progressing minute we feel the tension gradually build up and every door of hope for Naina shut down. As Badal repeatedly challenges Naina to excavate the minutest of details from her memory, we see the gradual formation of complex labyrinth possibilities that Badal first to comprehend in order to facilitate a smooth escape. 

Despite this being a faithful adaptation of Contratiempo (2016), the writers cleverly make it their own. The genders of the principal characters are swapped, this works better than the original where the man was accused and the woman was the lawyer.  
The Mahabharat is frequently referred to as the story deals with themes ranging from perception, reality, justice, truth, fact, and self-gratification through revenge. There is a strong emotional core of the story is also why you are invested. 

In one of the scenes, we see the poster of Sidney Lumet's classic '12 Angry Men' which also deals with similar themes. The nomenclature of the characters has a deeper connection with the proceedings. The name 'Naina' is owing to the fact that the entire story is through her eyes and perspective. 'Badal' is the omnipresent cloud high above that has a watchful eye on the ground that can provide relief when there is a drought of hope, by a small reshuffle of the letters in his name, you get Badla. 

The tale ends with a twist that can only be characterized as preposterous. Not only is this contrived ending out of sync with the overall tone film, but it seems to have emanated from a different genre. One wonders why the writers, who added many enhancements to the original, didn’t opt for a cryptic or open-ended conclusion that is more reality-based instead of slavishly following the original. 

Fortunately, this isn’t a film that relies solely on its twist for thrills. The reason the film is compelling is the clever, confounding, grim and relentless interplay between Badal and Naina. This is what grips you and gently propels you on the edge of your seat. Seldom has one seen a war of wits presented on screen in such a stirring manner. One of the reasons that the contest between Badal and Naina works is the sharp, witty and subtext-rich dialogues by Sujoy Ghosh and Raj Vasant. There is even a version of a line from the very compelling Big B action drama Aakhree Raasta, that may have been unintentional. 

The wind chilled city of Glasgow and the snow-capped Aviemore work as an effective backdrop to Badla; the feeling of deceit, danger, and unexplored darkness prevalent all through. The prime location is a room in Naina’s apartment, which is risky as it could diminish the cinematic quality of the film make look a video of a stage play. But the innovative cinematography by Avik Mukhopadhyay with a myriad of apt camera angles effectively uses the apartment to create a feeling of claustrophobia, this serves as a metaphor for Naina’s predicament as she feels the noose of the law tightening around her neck. Editor Monisha R. Baldawa deserves kudos for punctuating the scenes in the apartment with flashbacks to create a Rashomon like effect. The noirish jazzy background score by Clinton Cerejo is beautifully put together and works quite magnificently to enhance the proceedings on screen.

Among the supporting cast, theatre actor Manav Kaul is passable in a role that is beneath his immense potential, charisma vacuum Tony Luke doesn't quite work the Naina's lover, while Tanveer Ghani is good in his brief but important part. The principal cast that delivers flawlessly, Taapsee Pannu does very well as Naina, so does Amrita Singh, making a screen appearance after a long time. 

But it is the mighty Amitabh Bachchan that towers over everybody both literally and metaphorically. The man, simply described, is the most majestic, powerful and charismatic screen presence to ever dawn the big screen. Despite this being an axiomatic fact, few contemporary filmmakers grasp his limitless potential and natural magnetism. They often commit the cinematic sin presenting him with a ‘look’ that with prosthetics, beards, and wigs. It’s almost like you are handed a Picasso but feel compelled to alter it drastically. 

But Sujoy Ghosh clearly understands the Bachchan’s silver screen supremacy and wisely follows a minimalistic approach. Bachchan’s natural appearance undergoes very little change, his suit makes him look very dapper. Most of Bachchan’s scenes are shot in a single room, which is a boon since there are no distractions from any extraneous action. It's almost like Ghosh made a conscious decision to get out of his way and let maestro shine.

This is a master class in film acting by Amitabh Bachchan. We see his ability to effortlessly own the screen with his trademark rich baritone voice, his body language and expressive countenance. The film opens the Big B energetically pacing the streets of Glasgow leading to Naina's apartment, cheers erupted from the audience, (very reminiscent of 007 gun barrel walk minus the gunshot ofcourse) that's solid screen presence for you, the stuff that superstars are made of. 

Badal is sharp, witty, exuberant, rather arrogant and even has a dark sense of irony, all of these attributes are masterfully depicted by Bachchan. But there is a lot more to Badal beyond the demonstrative attributes. A vital duration Badal's screentime involves intently listening to Naina recount her agony, here Bachchan effectively conveys empathy, skepticism, even acute irritation, and exasperation sometimes without even uttering a syllable. He also delivers an infectious rap song that accompanies the title credits. To sum it up this is a meaty role and the man delivers perfectly. This vintage Amitabh Bachchan, that should delight his fans.

For his usual choice of film to remake and adeptly handling every aspect of this complex story, writer-director Sujoy Ghosh deserves all the accolades he is getting. This is an improvement over Oriol Paulo’s Contratiempo (2016) and merits multiple viewings, the first that to comprehend the mystery and the subsequent to see how everything fits once you have discovered the twist.

PS: The following is my interaction with Sujoy Ghosh at an event in Mumbai