NH 10 (2015)

Director: Navdeep Singh
Story: Sudip Sharma
Cast: Anushka Sharma, Neil Bhoopalam
Music: Anirban Chakraborty, Sanjeev-Darshan, Ayush Shrestha, Savera Mehta, Samira Koppikar
Time: 107 minutes
Bottom-line: Best seen on an empty stomach 

The tagline of the film reads “No turning back” whereas the correct one should have been “No turning away from the screen, except when the violence is too much to bear” and that is basically throughout the film. Anushka Sharma and Neil Bhoopalam star in this road movie / action thriller, which is arguably one of the most violent Indian films of the decade.

Meera (Sharma) and her husband Arjun (Bhoopalam) plan a road trip on NH 10 (Delhi to Fazilka). They leave the next day and en route, when they stop at a Dhaba, a young girl pleads Meera to protect her, saying that few men are going to kill her. Though Meera ignores her, she and Arjun witness a gang of men beat up the girl and a boy, and forcibly drag them in an SUV. As the couple follow the gang, they witness a brutal honour killing. When the men discover that they are not alone, they start to give pursuit. It only becomes a matter of time before Meera and Arjun realise that their journey turns out to be life-changing, and probably even suicidal...

NH 10, along with pk, is a film where Anushka Sharma really deserves praise for her acting. This film is more or less a one-woman show, but for the violence. Throughout the second half, the story explores how one woman picks up courage against all odds, how she fights back against a gang of men bent on killing her and her husband. The film gives her a chance to showcase everything she’s got –anger, shock and desperation. Alongside her is Neil Bhoopalam who tries his best to show barely any emotion throughout the film, but it is probably because of this that Sharma’s acting seems all the more laudable.

Anushka Sharma as Meera
and Neil Bhoopalam as Arjun

The story makes few things clear: one, when your wife tells you not to poke your nose into mischief, you will do well to listen to her; two, if you have a gun, then it automatically triggers something in your mind that gives you immense bravery to go after a gang who clearly have murderous intentions; three, honour killing is the last thing you should complain about; any other crime is fine. So with these main ideas setting the foundation, the violence builds the rest. Though I didn’t get a good quality print of the film to watch, now I feel that it was a good decision not to; it saved my eyes from a ton of gore and bloodshed.

Despite the crooked storyline, I liked the way it was presented on screen. With such a screenplay, this is probably the best way to make it into a movie. The suspense is maintained well, and for a 107-minute-long film, NH 10 gives more than the expected amount of thrill, assuming you are okay with the gore. Nevertheless, to watch Anushka Sharma give it her all to portray the lone warrior was a delight. The film is not a pleasant watch, but it is one you will never forget.

My Rating: 3/5