NH10 (2015) Review!!

Synopsis – A woman, stacked against all odds, manages to not just stick it out but indeed gives it back.

My Take – A road trip gone wrong concept may seem like a innovative attempt in Bollywood, literally hundreds of English language horror movies with a similar concept have already been made. Yet, its not easy to hate this film mainly because it’s one of the most terrifying Hindi films ever – while simultaneously, you love its brilliance. The film’s story, apparently inspired by Eden Lake, is truly taut, no moment letting you relax, no layer – like Meera’s vulnerability against both Arjun’s ego and the vicious gang . The story follows Arjun (Neil Bhoopalam) and Meera (Anushka Sharma) a happy couple with plush jobs in a big city. Soon after Meera suffers PTSD due a rape attempt on her & in a bid to take her mind off that incident, Arjun decides to take her to a nice place to celebrate her birthday. They take the NH10 road and it is here that they witness an honor killing led by Satbir (Darshan Kumar) and a group.

Due to Arjun’s interference, a member of the group gets killed. Things take a turn when the cops refuse to cooperate and the killers begin to hunt down Arjun and Meera. At one point, Arjun gets deeply wounded and it is only Meera who has to take care of things. What happens after that forms the crux of the story. The evil of honor killings still continue in the north India and it is tough to deal with such hardened people. But the way the principal characters deal with it has been done well. The first half goes on a breezy note with elements of some romance, some fun and some lighter moments. The interval bang was a twist. The second half gets into a completely serious mode and there is a lot of gore and blood which is raw. Director Navdeep Singh has not only made the most out of a road trip gone wild but has also filled in each of the scenes a continual thrill, of psyche driving in a meandering path of moral uncertainty and of the exceptional screenplay with Darshan Kumaar as the village ruffian and Sharma as the shackle breaker. Keeping itself as the very point of interest throughout its complete time span of a near-2 hour crime drama, the movie becomes more and more worthy of your time & money as you seek deeper through the story. Coming to the down side of the movie it makes us think whether it was trying to showcase what could happen in a highway or as an insight into the life of the villagers who still believe in violence, racism & caste systems. Something the director could have focused rather than highlighting rather than attempting to balance it.

Its hard to pin point to a certain segment, but at times the narrative did slow down, which may effect the attention of people who are not into this genre of movies. Anushka Sharma, who is also one of the producers of the film, has evidently put her heart into the movie. Its great to see how she has evolved as a great performer in this one, she is spectacular, and to watch out for her in the climax. With intense dramatic acting, she has taken the movie on to her shoulders completely. Neil Bhoopalam is, unfortunately, forgotten after some time in the movie as it revolves around Anushka Sharma and her struggle with the predators. However, he does well in his bit. Another revelation comes in the form of Darshan Kumar, he was superb. Deepti Naval was superb. On the whole, even with minor loopholes in the script, and predictability withstanding ‘NH10’ is riveting, a fine film that needs to be watched for its positive message for women. Driven by amazing performances, NH10 is an exciting two hour journey, touching upon the rural Haryana, honor killings, patriarchal mindset and women empowerment. This National Highway has its shares of potholes, but, it is a must visit. Do go the NH10 way!