 "Bastar: The Naxal Story movie review: Adah Sharma starrer is a hard-hitting & gripping human drama")
Star Cast: Adah Sharma, Indira Tiwari, Vijay Krishna, Shilpa Shukla, Yashpal Sharma, Subrat Dutta and Raima Sen
Director: Sudipto Sen
After the blockbuster success of The Kerala Story, actress Adah Sharma, director Sudipto Sen and producer Vipul Amrutlal Sharma have reunited for Bastar: The Naxal Story. While the trailer has created curiosity, does the film live up to its expectations? Let’s find out…
The hard-hitting story of the movie, which is based on true events, starts with a scene where a villager along with some people in Bastar (a part of Chhatisgarh) hoists the national flag of India and sings the national anthem. A group of Maoists see this and bring his family to their area. The leader of Maoists, Lanka Reddy played by Vijay Krishna kills that villager brutally for hoisting the flag, which Maoists rule.
Simultaneously, we see a courtroom drama, where a lawyer (played by Shilpa Shukla) is making accusations of fake and wrong encounters by IPS Neerja Madhavan (Adah Sharma), on the other hand, the opposition lawyer (played by Yashpal Sharma) reveals how the dominance of Maoists has destroyed Bastar and not even government can enter there. The villagers are always in fear because of Maoists as they killed many CRPF Jawans along with civilians.
In the next sequence, we see Neerja killing Maoist members along with his troops in the parts of Dantewada and other parts.
Maoists receive financial and weapon help from neighbouring countries along with communist personalities, who are some of the most influential personalities in the country. The goal of Maoists and these influential personalities is to destroy the democracy of India and implement dictatorship.
So, will Neerja Madhavan and his team be able to stop Maoists and their terror in Bastar? For that, you have to watch this movie in the cinema halls.
The movie shows the heavy political undertones, which are not only complicated but also very hard-hitting and unpleasant. There are several scenes, which will make you feel uncomfortable
While the tussle between Maoists and CRPFs is shown most intriguingly and realistically, it would have been better, if the Maoists’ side were present in a more elaborate way. The scenes related to JNU will definitely evoke some extreme emotions from you.
Filmmaker Sudipto Sen has made a hard-hitting cinema and kudos to him for attempting this subject and showing it in the most realistic way possible.
Talking about star performances, Adah Sharma aces the role of IPS of Neerja Madhavan. But the scene stealer is Vijay Krishna for his portrayal of menacing Maoist leader Lanka Reddy. Shilpa Shukla and Yashpal Sharma played their part with perfection. Anangsha Biswas and Anamika Tiwari will make you hate them with their ruthless portrayal of Maoists. Raima Sen is vicious as a renowned author, who helps Maoists. Kishor Kadam is top-notch. Indira Tiwari hits the right notes as she showcases her versatility by acing every emotion with finesse.
On the whole, Bastar is a brave attempt, which deserves an audience.
Rating: 3 (out of 5 stars)
Bastar: The Naxal Story is playing in cinemas near you
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