- Sanjay Mishra and Neena Gupta star in this sophisticated crime drama.
- The 2003 film starred Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini.
- Sanjay and Neena play disappointed parents in Vadh.
Sanjay Mishra and Neena Gupta star in this sophisticated crime drama.Vadh may follow Baghban at first glance. The 2003 film starred Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini as parents mistreated by their children. This film explores how far people will go when pushed to their limits. Amitabh Bachchan and Rashmika Mandanna can’t save Goodbye.
Sanjay Mishra and Neena Gupta play a retired Gwalior couple who are trying to approach their ungrateful NRI son Guddu (Diwakar Kumar) for money. Shambhunath Mishra (Sanjay) took out a hefty, unrealistic loan to send his son to the US.
The pair is suffering but doing their best. When Prajapati Pandey (Saurabh Sachdeva) visits their home, the story changes. The poor couple can only watch as they are humiliated in their own house.
How the pair fits into the film’s bigger theme of blackmail and intimidation. Vadh, co-directed by Jaspal Singh Sandhu and Rajeev Barnwal, investigates Shambhunath and Manju’s thoughts after a shocking event. The film’s title refers to an honourable, nearly justified killing, and characters wrestle with right and wrong.
Sanjay and Neena play disappointed parents in Vadh. The couple has no one but themselves to turn to, and the veteran performers show their decades-long history. In the second part, with financial hardship and police tension, the two players explore the little fracture this tragedy made in their secure marriage. Neena brushes Sanjay’s hand off while sleeping, expressing Manju’s fear for her husband. After his impetuous deeds, Sanjay goes from silent dejection to acceptance.
Saurabh plays the immoral Prajapati. Inspector Shakti Singh (Manav Vij) becomes suspicious of Shambhunath. Sanjay and Neena’s nuanced performances outshine them. The writing cliches the other characters, especially the ungrateful Guddu, who is one-note. Shambunath laments, “Beti hoti toh phir baat hi kuch aur hoti,” driving it back into Baghban territory.
The film seems to be based on a Hindi pulp novel about a mild-mannered man with a terrible secret. Parts of the picture are vivid, practically ripped from the news, but it’s never sensationalised. Shambhunath’s ‘perfect’ murder leaves the spectators guessing. While the finale looks too clean, it serves the film’s overarching message of justifiable killing. Sanjay and Neena’s performances save Vadh.
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