One Day: Justice Delivered Movie Review: Anupam Kher and Esha Gupta’s Thriller Does No ‘Justice’ to an Intriguing Plot

One Day: Justice Delivered Movie Review: In the 1983 film The Star Chamber, Michael Douglas plays a judge who, along with like-minded peers, makes a vigilante group and executes criminals who escape through the technicalities of the law. Circa 2019, Anupam Kher does something similar in One Day: Justice Delivered. Only in this case, he seemingly acts alone. Well, what can you say about our legal system when even judges turn vigilantes to get things right? Moral complications aside, One Day: Justice Delivered, directed by Ashok Nanda, does have an interesting premise that is squandered over a pedestrian writing and execution. One Day Trailer: Anupam Kher and Esha Gupta Pack a Punch in This Intriguing Crime Thriller (Watch Video).

So Anupam Kher plays Justice Tyagi, a respected judge in Ranchi, who has an unusual retirement plan. After getting his daughter married off, he kidnaps a doctor couple (Murali Sharma and Deepshika Nagpal) that very same night. His intention is to torture them and get them to reveal their misdeeds, something he couldn't punish them for as a judge. Some one please remind him that a confession under pressure cannot be admissible in a court!

Anyway, when another kidnapping happens, this time, a hotel tycoon (Rajesh Sharma), the police hands the case over to Crime Branch officer Laxmi Rathi (Esha Gupta), a tough cop with a distractingly thick Haryanvi lingo (that disappears during serious scenes). Along with the local officer Sharma (Kumud Mishra), Laxmi tries to figure out who is behind the kidnappings, while Tyagi lays traps for more culprits to fall in.

Despite the kind of wrong messaging they give out, vigilante films are quite fun to watch when done right. This genre flourished in the '80s and '90s before we grew tired of it. And yet, last year's Satyameva Jayate, starring John Abraham, turned out to be a surprise hit. Much before that, Anupam Kher himself had starred in one of Bollywood's best thrillers, A Wednesday, that was about a common man taking law in his hands to punish a few terrorists. While he had played a smart cop in that Neeraj Pandey movie, in the rhyming One Day, Anupam Kher gets the chance to have his hands dirty for the so-called 'greater good'. A little snag though - One Day: Justice Delivered is not a patch on A Wednesday.

The idea of a disillusioned judge breaking the law he once upheld, to punish the culprits, most of them also being his friends, is pretty intriguing. Alas, some very incompetent writing and a lacklustre direction make it impossible for us to root for anyone in the movie, including the lady cop in pursuit. There is a real lack of logic in how the judge carries out his misdemeanours without anyone noticing. It is later revealed that he had help, but the reveal itself makes no sense when you remember the scenes involving these characters that came before in the movie. Also, for someone as smart as that judge, it is incredulous to see him make some very basic mistakes. Like kidnapping the tycoon from a train where the judge's name is on the reservation list. Or abducting another man from a club with CCTV cameras using a decoy that could easily be traced back to him.

Watch the trailer of One Day: Justice Delivered here:

And to top it all, the director throws in quite a handful of item songs to test our patience. One of them even has the leading lady gyrating to inane lyrics in a saucy gown. 'Cos it just isn't enough to make her a cop without making her an object of fantasy, right? Even the technical values of the film are nothing to talk about. The movie has a feel of a telefilm made in the '90s, while the editing, despite keeping the film about two hours, is very uneven.

The Performances

Anupam Kher and Kumud Mishra's versatility in shining in bad movies is what makes One Day a little bit bearable to watch. Even though his character's actions lack any sense, at least Anupam Kher gets the body language right and his performance has nothing to complain about. Kumud Mishra is, once again, competent in a role that doesn't demand much from him, unlike last week's Article 15. The role of Laxmi Rathi could be Esha Gupta's most confident performance to date, though that isn't saying much. Like her accent, her performance of the tough cop hits all the bumpy notes. Aditi Rao Hydari, Esha Gupta and Madhuri Dixit Upset the Fashion Police This Week.

Rajesh Sharma and Nasirr Khan ham big time, while Zakir Hussain, Murali Sharma and Deepshika Nagpal are merely okay. Zarana Wahab in a brief role makes an impact.

Yay!

- Anupam Kher and Zakir Hussain

- The Intriguing Premise

Nay!

- Esha Gupta

- The Direction and Screenplay

- Needless Item Songs

Final Thoughts

Filled with illogical contrivances, One Day: Justice Delivered taxes your brain-cells in trying to make sense of what's going on the screen. Only the presence of Anupam Kher and Kumud Mishra and a somewhat intriguing premise make One Day a nearly bearable one-time watch.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 05, 2019 12:28 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).