Batla House

BATLA HOUSE is sensible, but lacks finesse!

Portraying a relevant subject, BATLA HOUSE is a good attempt at something complex. However, struggling with a limited skillset in filmmaking as well as acting departments, it ends up being just a decent fare with low-impact. Watchable, but not really recommended!

Based on the 2008 Delhi Batla House case, the crime thriller BATLA HOUSE chronicles the police encounter and investigation of the said case.

BATLA HOUSE is the kind of cinema which has immense promise on paper, but is done-for by naïve execution. The subject it touches – “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder” is an excellent concept for a film. Its foundation needs three pillars – dexterous writing, sensitive direction and nuanced performances. However, all these three pillars are missing in BATLA HOUSE. The writing is heavy handed, and Nikkhil Advani’s treatment is loud, rather than being nuanced. His depiction of the subject suffers from the usual Bollywood trappings and the actors he deploys are never exceptional.

What’s good though, is that technically the film scores high. Great camera-work, crisp narrative and an impactful background score, keep you hooked for the most part. The film is decently entertaining too. If only the length was a tad shorter, performances better and the writing finer, this could’ve been a special product.

The performances are substandard to say the least. It’s an established fact that John Abraham has very limited acting chops. To portray such a complex character appropriately is definitely not his cup of tea. As I mentioned earlier, depicting Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder in an impactful manner requires an extremely nuanced performance, which I’m afraid Abraham isn’t truly made for. His attempt is applaud-worthy, but it isn’t a success, till it is. The supporting actors too are mostly caricatures, and no one e=really shines.

To sum up, “BATLA HOUSE” is a film that wastes its script-potential because of lack of talent. It still makes for a decent viewing for your weekend. But spare only your absolutely free time for it.