Director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat
TIFF Presentation: World Premiere (Midnight Madness)
Country: India
Year: 2023
Runtime: 115 minutes
Language: Hindi
Cast: Lakshya, Tanya Maniktala, Raghav Juyal
Produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, Bhat’s martial arts thriller sees a New Delhi-bound passenger train become a very bloody battleground as a pair of commandos face off against a throng of bandits. With the expected love story.
There were two types of moviegoers in the audience… the ones who walked out when things got too gruesome, or the ones who laughed off the excess blood. For those of us who hung in there, we cheered as the title card came up mid-way through the film, marking the moment where we knew all bets were off and instead of a Hollywood ending, we’d be getting a bloody Bollywood massacre. Hey, it is Midnight Madness, after all.
Indian cinema loves its trains, and the cinematographers beautifully captured all the action on board. Expect Raghav Juyal’s ruthless character to get all the “Villain of the Year” accolades.
Watch This If: Dil Se but with ‘80s and early ‘90s dishoom.
★★★★★
