“Batla House” Review: An Edge-Of-The-Seat Experience

Batla House, as the title suggests itself, is based on the infamous Batla House encounter which took place on September 19, 2008. The film, starring John Abraham in the lead role, tells what happened on that eventful day and what followed later. The controversial encounter also claimed the life of Delhi Police inspector Mohan Chand Sharma who was later awarded the Ashoka Chakra on 26 January 2009.

Nikkhil Advani, who has before explored various genres as a filmmaker, calls the shots for Batla House, one of his most ambitious projects. Let’s find out whether or not you should be spending your Independence Day or the coming weekend watching his latest offering Batla House in theatres.

What Batla House Is About?

DCP Sanjay Kumar (John Abraham), whose marriage with Nandita (Mrunal Thakur) has hit rock bottom, carries out an encounter against suspected terrorists hiding in Batla House, New Delhi. They all are accused of having links to the dreaded terror group Indian Mujahideen.

However, the media, human rights organizations and some section of the society suspect him of doctoring a fake encounter. How Kumar fights to clear his image forms the crux of the film.

Is Batla House Worth Your Time & Money?

Yes, it is! You need guts to make a film like Batla House, without tempering facts that are already there in public domain. The best thing about the John Abraham starrer is that it tries to be as objective as possible while unravelling what must have transpired more than a decade ago.

Not even for a second, it digresses from its core topic or for that matter uses a prejudiced prism to tell you a different truth. Filmmaker Nikkhil Advani deserves praises for keeping its narrative as honest as possible.

Talking about performances, John Abraham as ACP Sanjay Kumar is throughout convincing. He is deliciously restrained while portraying his character. From showing anger to disappointment to the helplessness of an officer who is perhaps going through his worst phase, personally as well as professionally, John exceeds expectations in every scene.

Mrunal Thakur as his wife Nandita stands by his side like a pillar of strength. Her role is the film may not be very meaty, but she does manage to leave an impression with her limited screen presence.

The direction, writing and editing are crisp. Songs used in the background do not add much to the narrative. Their presence hardly makes any difference. Production value of the film is rich. Overall, Batla House scores distinction marks in all departments. John is set to add another hit to his repertoire with his latest film.

Final Verdict

Batla House is a promising thriller that makes for a perfect Independence Day watch. Bolstered by a terrific performance by John Abraham, taut writing and deft direction by Nikkhil Advani, the film tells you the real story of the infamous Batla House encounter without any prejudice. I am going with 4 stars.

Movie Credits

Banner: T-Series, Emmay Entertainment, JA Entertainment, Bake My Cake Films
Director: Nikkhil Advani
Cast: John Abraham, Mrunal Thakur
Runtime: 145 Minutes
STARBIZ: 4/5

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