# Badlapur (film)

Badlapur (stylized as बदलाPUR) (transl. City of Revenge) is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language neo-noir action thriller film directed by Sriram Raghavan and produced by Dinesh Vijan and Sunil Lulla under Maddock Films and Eros International. Based on the novel Death's Dark Abyss by Italian writer Massimo Carlotto, the film stars Varun Dhawan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, with Huma Qureshi, Yami Gautam, Vinay Pathak, Kumud Mishra, Divya Dutta and Radhika Apte in supporting roles.
Badlapur was released on 20 February 2015 to positive reviews from critics. The film grossed approximately ₹81.3 crore (US$9.4 million) worldwide and became a commercial success. On 11 January 2016, the film was nominated for Best Film in the 61st Filmfare Awards, as well as other categories.

## Plot

Two friends, Liaq and Harman, rob a bank in Pune and steal a car belonging to Misha and her son Robin. During the ensuing chase, Robin falls out of the vehicle and Misha gets shot. As per the plan, Harman escapes while the police, led by Inspector Govind, arrest Liaq. Both Misha and Robin die, shattering Raghav "Raghu" Purohit, Misha's husband and Robin's father. He attacks Liaq in prison and approaches a private detective who tells him about Liaq's girlfriend, a sex worker named Jhimli. Raghu offers all the insurance money he received for his son's death in exchange for Liaq's partner's name, but Jhimli refuses. Enraged, he assaults her. Liaq is convicted for the robbery and sentenced to jail, and Raghu exiles himself to a reclusive life far away from Pune.
Fifteen years later, Liaq becomes terminally ill and wishes to spend his remaining life with his mother Zeenat. Raghu is approached by a social worker, Shobha, who asks him to forgive Liaq, but he declines. Zeenat later catches up with Raghu and tells him Liaq's partner's name, wanting her son to be paroled on compassionate grounds. Liaq is paroled but trailed by one of Inspector Govind's subordinates in plainclothes form, so as to trace Harman. Raghu locates Harman and is invited to lunch by Harman's wife Kanchan "Koko" Khatri, where his true intentions are revealed. Harman denies having killed Misha and Robin and Koko pleads that he spare them. Raghu demands she sleep with him in exchange. He takes her to the bedroom and exacts revenge by making Koko strip and forcing her to scream to make Harman believe they're having sex.
Liaq contacts Harman for his share of the money but Raghu murders Koko and Harman with a hammer. He then goes to meet Shobha and pretends to be in love with her, creating the perfect alibi. Liaq learns that Zeenat gave Harman's name to Raghu in exchange for his freedom. Shobha is enraged to learn that Raghu told the cops they had sex. A fight ensues between Raghu and Liaq, culminating in the latter initially overpowering the former until he is himself subdued after Raghu gains an upper hand. Liaq reveals that he did kill Raghu's family but more in a moment sheer panic unlike Raghu, who he points out, planned his murders with a cool mind and without guilt.
Liaq goes to meet Jhimli, now the concubine of a local businessman, Patil, one last time before his death. Having circumstantial evidence against Raghu, Inspector Govind tries to blackmail him into giving him Liaq's share of the money. However, Liaq walks into the police station and takes the blame for Raghu's crimes, giving Raghu a second chance to live life while redeeming himself.
After seven months, Liaq succumbs to cancer in jail and Jhimli makes Raghu realize the futility of his revenge. She drives away with Patil, leaving Raghu standing in the rain.

## Cast

* Varun Dhawan as Raghav "Raghu" Purohit
* Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Liaq Mohammed Tungrekar
* Huma Qureshi as Janki "Jhimli" Dagaonkar, a sex-worker who is Liaq's girlfriend
* Yami Gautam as Misha Senthil Purohit, Raghu's wife
* Divya Dutta as Shobha
* Vinay Pathak as Harman Khatri
* Radhika Apte as Kanchan "Koko" Khatri
* Ashwini Kalsekar as Mrs. Joshi
* Murali Sharma as Michael Dada
* Pratima Kazmi as Zeenat Mohammed Tungrekar, Liaq's mother
* Zakir Hussain as Shardul Patil, a businessman who later employs Jhimli as a concubine
* Kumud Mishra as Inspector Govind
* Neel Tyagi as Robin Purohit, Raghu's son

## Production

The film began shooting in May 2014.

## Critical reception

On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 92%, based on 8 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10.
Raja Sen from Rediff.com rated it 4 out of 5 and said "Badlapur is a dark, unflinching, fantastic film." Sudhish Kamath from The Hindu wrote that the film was "darkly ambitious and very well made." Rachit Gupta from Filmfare stated that it had "exhilarating performances, stellar storytelling."
Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV rated it 3/5 and noted the pervasive contemptful treatment of women in the film, writing, "If one can ignore the overt misogyny on show all through the film, Badlapur throws up enough surprises to hold the viewer's interest right until the bitter end."
Mohar Basu of The Times of India rated Badlapur 4 out of 5. Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express rated the movie 2.5 stars out of 5, describing it as riveting, but also noting that the film "comes off too contrived in many places, and leaves us hanging in others." Rajeev Masand and Md Abidur Rahaman of CNN-IBN rated it 3.5 out of 5 and wrote: "The pace slackens post-intermission, plot contrivances are many, and you might say the film is misogynistic in its treatment of women ... [However], the film keeps you on your toes, curious to see where its twists and turns will lead."

## Box office

Box Office India reported that Badlapur grossed approximately ₹81.3 crore (US$9.4 million) worldwide.

## Soundtrack

The soundtrack and background score of Badlapur is composed entirely by Sachin–Jigar, while the lyrics were written by Dinesh Vijan and Priya Saraiya. The first song, "Jee Karda", was released as a single on 9 December 2014. The song "Jeena Jeena" was released on 14 February 2015. Jeena Jeena reached number one on the Indian iTunes charts, Radio Mirchi charts, for several weeks.
All lyrics are written by Priya Saraiya & Dinesh Vijan; all music is composed by Sachin–Jigar

## Awards and nominations

| Award | Category | Recipients and nominees | Result |
| 8th Mirchi Music Awards | Album of The Year | Sachin–Jigar, Dinesh Vijan, Priya Saraiya | Nominated |
| 8th Mirchi Music Awards | Best Song Producer (Programming & Arranging) | Sachin–Jigar – "Jee Karda" | Nominated |
| 61st Filmfare Awards | Best Film | Dinesh Vijan, Sunil Lulla | Nominated |
| 61st Filmfare Awards | Best Director | Sriram Raghavan | Nominated |
| 61st Filmfare Awards | Best Actor | Varun Dhawan | Nominated |
| 61st Filmfare Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Nawazuddin Siddiqui | Nominated |
| 61st Filmfare Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Huma Qureshi | Nominated |
| 61st Filmfare Awards | Best Singer – Male | Atif Aslam for "Jeena Jeena" | Nominated |