Vadh (2022 film)
2022 Indian film by Jaspal Singh Sandhu
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vadh (transl. Execution) is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language crime drama[1] film written and directed by Jaspal Singh Sandhu, Rajiv Barnwal and produced by Luv Films.[2][3] Vadh was theatrically released on 9 December 2022.[4][5] It was featured at the 54th IFFI Indian panorama section.[6]
Rajiv Barnwal
Rajiv Barnwal
Ankur Garg
Neeraj Ruhil
Nymphea Saraf Sandhu
Subhav Sharma
| Vadh | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jaspal Singh Sandhu Rajiv Barnwal |
| Written by | Jaspal Singh Sandhu Rajiv Barnwal |
| Produced by | Luv Ranjan Ankur Garg Neeraj Ruhil Nymphea Saraf Sandhu Subhav Sharma |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Sapan Narula |
| Edited by | Bharat S Rawat |
| Music by | Gurcharan Singh |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Yash Raj Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
Plot
Shambhunath "Shambhu" Mishra, a retired teacher in Gwalior, lives with his wife Manju in poverty. Their only son, Guddu, has settled in America and refuses to support them, despite their mortgaging the family house to fund his education abroad. Shambhu struggles to repay the loan taken from Prajapati Pandey, a gangster and loan shark who enjoys protection from corrupt police officer Shakti Singh. Pandey frequently threatens the couple, and during one such visit he develops sinister intentions toward Naina, Shambhu’s young student. Unable to bear it, Shambhu kills him in a fit of rage.
Shambhu hides the murder, but suspicion soon falls on him when Pandey disappears. Shakti Singh, who also clashes with Pandey over bribes, begins investigating but finds no evidence. Meanwhile, MLA Rathore, for whom Pandey worked, pressures Shambhu to vacate his house. Shambhu and Manju seek help from their son, only to be rejected and insulted. Later, Shambhu discovers Pandey’s phone, which contains compromising videos that could ruin Shakti’s career, explaining why the officer desperately wants it back.
After being beaten by Rathore’s men, Shambhu is hospitalised. There he confesses the truth to Shakti and hands over Pandey’s phone, along with the hidden murder evidence. Sympathetic to Shambhu’s plight, Shakti covers up the crime by framing Rathore for Pandey’s murder. In the end, Shambhu and Manju move into a new house and decide to gift their old one to Naina.
Cast
- Sanjay Mishra as Shambhunath Mishra[4]
- Neena Gupta as Manju Mishra[7]
- Saurabh Sachdeva as Prajapati Pandey
- Manav Vij as Shakti Singh
- Nadeem Khan as Constable Sitaram Gadariya
- Jaspal Singh Sandhu as 'Dada' alias Rathore
- Sumit Gulati as Bittu
- Ananya Singh as Naina
- Umesh Kaushik as Navin
- Diwakar Kumar as Diwakar Mishra
- Pranjal Pateriya as Bakery owner
- Abhitosh Singh Rajput as Pawan
- Tanya Lal as Pandey's wife
Critical reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 50% of 6 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.5/10.[8]
Sonal Pandya reviewing for Hindustan Times praised the performances of Mishra and Gupta.[9] Pooja Biraia Jaiswal reviewing for The Week rated 4/5 and praised Mishra and Gupta.[10] Deepa Gahlot reviewing for Scroll.in praised the performances of Mishra, Gupta and Vij.[11]
Accolades
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Filmfare Awards | 17 April 2023 | Best Film (Critics) | Jaspal Singh Sandhu and Rajeev Barnwal | Nominated | [12][13] |
| Best Debut Director | Won | ||||
| Best Story | Nominated | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
| Best Actor (Critics) | Sanjay Mishra | Won | |||
| Best Actress (Critics) | Neena Gupta | Nominated | |||