Vadh Review: The Sanjay-Neena Starrer Walks The Path Between Vice And Virtue

With several monsters to face that don't lurk just under their bed, 'Vadh' centers on a middle-aged couple who are battling with impoverishment and despair.

New Delhi: Realistic and raw, 'Vadh' is everything that 'Drishyam' isn't. The crime drama 'Drishyam', starring Ajay Devgn, which has been gripping viewers with its potential to keep them on the edge of their seats, finally has a rival. 'Vadh', which stars Sanjay Mishra and Neena Gupta, has a similar theme but is more grounded in actuality and possibility.

With several monsters to face that don't lurk just under their bed, the story centres on a middle-aged couple who are battling with impoverishment and despair. They get caught in a maze of deceit in the gritty, twisted story where the boundary between false and real is blurred.

Shambhunath Mishra (Sanjay Mishra), a middle school teacher and his wife Manju (Neena Gupta), have landed themselves in a debt trap solely to fulfill the wishes of a callous son who lives in the United States. The two make us empathize with their unjust sorrow because of being left to fend for themselves in a rat trap of a life. In the midst of everything else, they manage to find some small joys to keep their lives afloat. But an unexpected storm is headed their way to take away the roof over their heads.

Speaking of rat traps, the writer-director duo, Jaspal Singh Sandhu and Rajeev Barnwal, masterfully infused the film's opening with allegory. The audience is made aware of what is about to happen by already having the cause and effect in the frame. 

In a scene, Manju chastises Sanjay for bringing a rat trap into the house that will kill the rodent. Shambhunath argues that, when necessary, one must get rid of them. 

When Mishra commits a brutal murder to save one of his own, it shows a similar disparity in the characters' perspectives.

What lengths will one go to protect their loved ones? Both movies (Drishyam and Vadh) pose the same question, but this time a common person grappling with genuine hardships in life offers an answer.

In an effort to make the lives of this elderly couple far worse, a local goon (Saurabh Sachdeva), who works for a notorious moneylender, goes to any extremes. When the police eventually fail to help Mishra, he decides to deal with the situation himself. The man of the house employs all of his brains to shield the family as their own fates get entangled in a trap that seeks to destroy everything.

"Humne haatiya nahi ki hai, humne vadh kiya hai," Mishra's words echoed across the theatre and rang in one's ears until the very end. We are asked to pick whether to label his deed as a work of virtue or vice because of this particular line, which imbues our conscience.

Sanjay Mishra and Neena Gupta, two seasoned actors, effortlessly portray the innocence of a typical middle-aged couple on screen. Owing to the characters' seamless performance and outstanding writing, one is quickly drawn to them. Although Neena has fewer lines than the former, not because she might overshadow Sanjay's character, her expressions are more powerful than her words. While Sanjay largely narrates the story through his actions, Neena infuses it with emotion through her silences. 

One can hardly say whether 'Vadh' finishes on a winning note because what appeared to be triumph took away almost everything. Although they are no longer tormented, the ghosts of their past still cling to them.

A moment that perfectly wraps up the entire movie shows the two protagonists sharing a load of burdensome luggage as they exit the frame.