Inspector Shivani Shivaji
Roy returns again as the tough as a rusty nail cop who goes after the bad
guys like a buzz saw. In the first film she brought down a child trafficking
ring while this time she is after a bestial rapist who also part times as
a hit man. It is rough and graphic. Both films were produced by Yash Raj Film
that over decades specialized in big fat romantic extravaganzas - big stars,
big musical numbers and enough emotion to sink a battleship. Times are changing
though and Yash Raj with it - the Dhoom films, the Krrish films - but nothing
as gritty and hard hitting as these films. I expect the reason for that is
Rani Mukerji who stars as Shivani. She is married to Aditya Chopra, the son
of the founder of the company. Both films go after more than just the bad
guys but also after social ills that effect women. Child trafficking is a
big business in India and it seems to be the rape center of the world. Or
at least the media plays it that way. The stories of rape that hit the papers
are horrific and common. Gang rapes, women being blamed for being raped,
families turning their daughters away after being raped. It is an epidemic
and one that many women are fighting against and bringing to the attention
of society but in such an extreme paternal society it just keeps happening.
Since breaking up the trafficking ring in 2014, Shivani has gained national
fame for solving other crimes - much to the resentment of men in the department.
A vile rape and murder of a college girl in Jaipur gets enough publicity that
they send Shivani there to get to the bottom of it. The rapist Sunny is played
by Vishal Jethwa with impudent charm and quiet madness as he often speaks
directly to the camera about what he is going to do. He targets a girl, tells
her a believable story of an injured friend, gets her in the car and knocks
her out. The cutting and beating and rape take place later on in an isolated
area. And finally strangling them to death. When Shivani shows up, the police
already have a suspect - the boyfriend of a victim - and she rips them to
pieces with evidence. It can't be him.
Sunny is a master of manipulation and disguise - he has a hit to perform
but he becomes fascinated by this female cop who despises him. It becomes
a cat and mouse game with Shivani trying to catch up - he does his kill, another
rape, a murder - and she is given 48 hours to solve it or be transferred back
to Mumbai. This isn't as good as the first one which had a bigger canvass
of organized crime and wonderful location shooting in Mumbai. This is more
like an episode of Criminal Minds but a very good one and having Rani running
the show makes it special. She is tough. At one point they have a gang witness
that they need information from and beat him with sticks while dunking him
head first into a canister of water. She watches calmly. That is not likely
to happen on Criminal Minds nor the ending which like the first film is very
satisfying. No songs. 103 minutes.
