Badla (Revenge) is a very different sort of Bollywood film. Or is it a Bollywood film? Produced by the Hindi film industry in Mumbai and starring Amitabh Bachchan, it had none of the typical Bollywood characteristics; not even musical numbers. Thank goodness in this case because they would have been absurd; like fitting an elephant into a doll house. The less I say about the film the better because everything is a spoiler. Everything. It is based on a Spanish film titled The Invisible Guest from 2016 but it reminded me of an older film from 1972 called Sleuth. Like that one, you can't take anything at face value. Nothing is what it seems. It is dialogue intense and the sub titles had trouble keeping up. It is very complicated and clever; perhaps too much for its own good. This seems to be where Bollywood is headed; less music, better scripts, less melodrama, less bombastic and nothing against that but I sure hope they still keep making big fat over the top films.



Advocate Badal Gupta (Amitabh Bachchan) arrives at a murder suspect's door. He has been hired by the suspect's lawyer to represent her if she is arrested. He has never lost a case and is famous for getting his clients off. The suspect is Naina (Taapsee Pannu) a top female entrepreneur in the city. She was found in a locked hotel room with a dead body who she was having an extra-marital affair with. She swears she is innocent and is being framed. He promises to get her off but he needs the absolute truth. As she relates what happened in flashbacks, he continues to press her for more, the truth, what are you holding back, if not you, who? Except for the occassional flashback, it is nearly a two man show and both actors are terrific. Amitabh in the old days would have taken this role and played it for all it was worth like a hero on Mount Olympus but that is Old Bollywood. Here he is perfectly controlled and precise. Tell me the truth and I will save you. Just short of two hours.

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