Batla House Review: A Brutal And Honest Gritty Tale Which Will Keep You Hooked On Every Frame!

Starring: John Abraham

Directed By: Nikkhil Advani

3.5/5 Stars

The horrifying blasts which took place in Delhi  killing 26 people and leaving out 100 injured on September 13th, 2008 was truly a black day for the country. But just a few days later, the nation woke to some gunshots in the Jamia Nagar lane of Delhi on September 19th, 2008. This infamous operation was carried out by the Delhi Police Special Cell who engaged on a shootout with the residents of a flat in that area who were suspected to be terrorists responsible for the Delhi blasts with the flat later known as Batla House. This resulted in an ugly controversy wherein the Delhi Police was criticized immensely for targeting 'innocent' students during the shootout. The entire operation was headed by former ACP and now DCP Sanjeev Kumar Yadav.

The film, Batla House revisits the incidents of the fateful incident. The film revolves around ACP Sanjay Kumar (John Abraham) who gets embroiled in the heated controversy of the operation and filmmaker Nikkhil Advani has made an attempt to present an objective layering to the whole story. The film has its intricate dose of patriotism on its right place. The film soon opens up in an intense cat and mouse chase between the Delhi Police and alleged accused. There is no doubt that the film will bind you at the edge of the seat at every moment. There are some slick action sequences which are impressive to behold. The film loses its pace however, at its second half due to the jagged editing which affects its length to a great deal. However, there is no doubt that there are some thought provoking dialogues during the intense courtroom drama. But the film does falter to some extent during its second half. Adding to that, Nora Fatehi's item dance comes across as a misfit even though the actress did full justice to her brief cameo role.

But it is John Abraham who is an excellent guiding anchor for the film and has sunk completely to the skin of the character, also there's no denying the fact that this is surely one of his best performances of his career. He is a visual delight to behold in every frame of the film. Mrunal Thakur as the ACP's wife is a good support to the film but some of her scenes are too restrained and do not contribute effectively in the film. Other cast members like Ravi Kishan and Rajesh Sharma have done full justice to their role. Watch this one to relive that fateful incident which every citizen of the nation should be aware about.