Bheed Movie Review: Director Anubhav Sinha’s Bheed, starring Rajkummar Rao, Bhumi Pednekar and Dia Mirza, is an intense mix of multiple conflicts exposed by one singular mega event. The fault lines are about to be exposed, the facade of our existence as a society is about to be collapsed, and the masks are about to be slipped—and just when you expect the drama to take center-stage and expect the narrative and the performers to go for the full bite—the makers somehow let the otherwise slick screenplay to take a backseat.  Bheed: Ashutosh Rana Gets Candid About His Film, Calls It ‘Realistic Scenario of COVID-19 Lockdown’.

Not that they are unsure about the material at hand, but I strongly feel that they were not sure about how to wrap things up cohesively to deliver the larger impact. Bheed works in most parts. It does work well to question the structuring of our society on multiple levels, but it certainly lacks the much-needed bite that you expect when you have brilliant material to work with.

Sinha sets his landscape of Covid times in black and white, presumably to highlight the intensity of the drama, the obvious right and wrong, without hiding behind the grey zone of the complexity of the extraordinary situations. The colour palette (or the lack of it ) highlights the clear-cut divisions based on caste, economy and power while millions of workers migrate back to their native place in order to survive. The divisions, the struggles and the conflicts are convincingly mounted and heart-achingly portrayed by the performers. A tense drama unfolds as chaos adds to the grave conflict, and the extraordinary scenario exposes the sad state of the nation where the lower rung, driven by caste and class, has nowhere to go. Bheed exposes and exploits the said elements, but doesn’t quite dare to explore the gravitas to the fullest.

Rajkummar Rao’s character Police Officer Surya Kumar is placed bang in the centre of this disturbing tale where chaos, violence and fear erupt when an exodus of migrants hit a checkpoint during the Covid-19 lockdown. The man who stands by his strict moral code is himself from a low caste, but is rising fast in the hierarchy due to his exemplary work. His morals and his discipline are put to test when the system treats human beings as an animal herd, where the crowd is screened mercilessly and discrimination is right in your face. Bhumi Pednekar is a doctor facing the ordeal, Dia Mirza is a mother from a high society who feels she must sail through the chaos like a queen, Kritika Kamra is a journalist who must see the valid “viewpoint” by going beyond the breaking news mould and Pankaj Kapur as security personnel give the plot some intense and interesting layers. Bheed Censor Board Report Leaked: From Removing PM Narendra Modi's 'Lockdown' Speech to Muting 'Corona Jihad', CBFC's Changes to Rajkummar Rao and Bhumi Pednekar's Film Revealed!

Anubhav Sinha who doesn’t hesitate to make impactful socially relevant commentaries with his brilliant cinematic work such as Mulk and Article 15 engages you once again with a neutral take on the sorry situation. Several facets of the dramatic tales are touched upon to expose the rift between communities and how without ‘paisa and power’ one can easily get reduced to the stature of the cattle in this country. All these facets are realistically portrayed, but they get diluted due to a weak screenplay and some unnecessarily placed sequences. Rajkummar Rao and Bhumi Pednekar’s romance blossoming right amidst the chaos dilutes the urgency of the situation and some of the dialogues they mouth are unintentionally hilarious.

Sinha has an impressive set of actors to drive the tale and he utilises them nearly well. Rajkummar Rao is his usual effortless self. Pankaj Kapur and Ashutosh Rana leave a definite impact while Bhumi Pednekar, Dia Mirza and Kritika Kamra are equally impressive with their parts.

Final Thoughts

Anubhav Sinha’s Bheed is a daringly disturbing tale narrated in a docu-drama style. The maker’s urge for social justice needs to be witnessed and heard in spite of its scattered screenplay and oddly placed sequences that easily dilute the much-desired impact.

Rating:3.0

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 24, 2023 12:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).