Bobby delivers without resorting to ‘monkey’ tactics

Satish Sundaresan

Bandar introduces Sameer Mehra (Bobby Deol), the once-celebrated pop sensation who is now struggling to stay relevant in today’s world. On the personal front, just as he finds himself blessed with ladylove Khushi (Saba Azad), cops come knocking at his door to arrest him!

The reason? Well… his ex-fling (or girlfriend?) Gayatri (Sapna Pabbi) has accused Sameer of raping her. This leads to a series of interrogations by the cops (led by Jitendra Joshi’s character), all of which result in Sameer being transferred to a larger prison with challenging inmates around him.

Is Sameer really guilty of raping his former love or is he merely being framed by someone? What ultimately happens to Sameer and his life unravels as the film progresses.  

Actors’ performance

Bobby Deol shines in his role and does total justice to the array of emotions his character undergoes in the film. Be it his desperation, helplessness, casual dating, arrogance… the list is endless. Bobby’s portrayal of these emotions makes his performance near-flawless. 

On the other hand, there’s Sapna Pabbi who also shines in her role as the personified version of the saying, ‘hell hath no fury like a woman scorned’! She brings layers of emotions to her character. Then, there’s Sanya Malhotra, who embodies the pain and suffering of a sister whose brother has been framed.

There’s Saba Azad who portrays her character with conviction, although one does wonder whether she spoke a single Hindi line in the entire film. While Bandar is laced with expletives, one surely misses hard hitting one liners. 

FPJ verdict

If you are a lover of the dark genre of filmmaking, Bandar is just the treat that you should ‘jump upon’… no pun intended!

Title: Bandar

Director: Anurag Kashyap

Cast: Bobby Deol, Sapna Pabbi, Indrajith Sukumaran, Saba Azad, Jitendra Joshi, Sanya Malhotra 

and Raj B. Shetty

Where: In theatres near you

Rating: HH