Jun 03, 2026 9:34pm IST
‘Bandar’ Review: Anurag Kashyap’s Gritty Drama Leaves A Lasting Impact; Bobby Deol Delivers Career Best Performance
An Anurag Kashyap cinematic experience may not always be enjoyable or entertaining, but it will be raw, brutal and designed to shake you out of your comfort zone. The filmmaker’s latest offering, "Bandar", does not disappoint on that score at all. Long after the film is over, your mind is still reeling from the chaos you have just encountered. The impact of "Bandar" is so overwhelming that it makes one introspect on the subject matter far more ferociously than one ever has.
The film begins with Samar (Bobby Deol), a struggling small-time actor trying to maintain a certain lifestyle without having the money or means to support it. Things get worse when Samar is arrested for the rape of a young woman, Gayatri (Sapna Pabbi). Samar pleads innocence, but nobody is listening. It turns out that Samar hooked up with Gayatri “just once” after meeting her on a dating app. When he realizes she is unstable, he avoids her, ignores her and eventually blocks her. Scorned and humiliated, Gayatri decides to take revenge in the ultimate manner — by accusing him of rape. Thus begins Samar’s ordeal as an undertrial, waiting for his turn to secure bail.
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Anurag’s intent is to scare the daylights out of his audience, particularly men, and he hits a home run on that front. As the film unfolds, it is disturbing to note how easy it seems to manipulate a situation. In a country like India, the laws are tilted in favour of women, and rightfully so. But when an innocent man is caught in the vortex, his battle for justice is never going to be easy.
"Bandar", written by Sudip Sharma and Abhishek Banerjee, tackles a subject that has not been fully explored in Hindi cinema. It had a grand opportunity to examine the perils of the innocent man through the different facets of his life. Sadly, "Bandar" only touches upon that aspect fleetingly before turning into an undertrial prison experience. The jail portion is rendered in such vivid detail that everything else pales in comparison. The film ultimately becomes an innocent man’s survival saga behind bars when it should have been a deeper exploration of a male victim wrongfully accused by a revenge-seeking woman.
Yet despite this drastic shift in narrative, Bandar succeeds on almost every other front. Kashyap’s direction is top-notch. A sequence in the police station between Deol and Jitendra Joshi, who delivers a fantastic performance, is a house-down scene with Kashyap at his absolute best. Even within the prison sequences, the director manages to make you squirm at every juncture.
Kashyap also extracts what may well be Bobby Deol’s finest and most nuanced performance to date. The actor balances intensity and vulnerability with remarkable ease. Sapna Pabbi does exceptionally well as the scorned woman. Sanya Malhotra, playing Samar’s sister, shines through despite being saddled with a role that offers little opportunity.
A special mention must go to Saiyed Shaaz Rizvi for his riveting camerawork, the film’s musical score, and the phenomenal ensemble casting by Gautam Kishanchandani. Credit is also due to producer Nikhil Dwivedi for backing a subject like this and having the conviction to release it in cinemas. For maximum impact, watch this one in theatres.
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