Director: Raj Singh Chaudhary
Cast: Anil Kapoor, Harshvardhan Kapoor, Fatima Sana Shaikh
Streaming on: Netflix
Deserts can be ominous places, not least because the terrain is infested with rattlesnakes, vipers and scorpions. Add a psycho serial killer to this mix. This is what Inspector Surekha Singh (Anil Kapoor) is up against. Not just this, there are dacoits and opium smugglers too. Surekha is in the sunset years of his police career. Posted in an obscure village in the Thar desert, we see him first lament about the lack of action in these parts. But things change very soon.
Harshvardhan Kapoor (Anil’s son in real life) plays the role of Siddharth, an antiques trader. He stands out as the eccentric stranger upon his arrival at the tiny, close-knit village where Surekha is posted. Siddharth’s advent in these parts coincides with a spurt in crime. There’s a sadistic murder of a man whose body is found mutilated and hanging from a tree. Then there are folks who are recruited by Siddharth to help with his business and who mysteriously go missing. There is also a major homicidal act carried out by a gang of dacoits. Its up to Surekha to solve all these cases and also establish if these are linked in any way.
Thar can best be described as a mood piece. Noir films set in desolate locales come with an inherent eerie quality. Nordic noir is a prime example. Thar imbibes many of the same attributes. There is an almost minimalist approach to the filmmaking. The characters are few and the dialogues scarce. The exemplary cinematography makes up for this however. The visuals of the desert and of the villages and forts that dot the landscape are stunning and the sandy colour palette further accentuates the imagery. There is a lived-in feel to the film and the desert itself takes on the role of a character in the story.
On the whole though, Thar is one of those films where there is an almost equal mix of the good and the not so good. The technical side of the filmmaking is commendable, as cited above. However, the story and screenplay could have been further worked on. There’s a reveal towards the end that explains the actions of a major character and the way it transpires is almost too convenient. I thought Anil Kapoor as an actor was severely under-utilized. I wished Surekha Singh’s character had better conflicts to face and a more prominent role in the unfolding of the film’s events.
Harshvardhan Kapoor carries Thar to a large extent on his shoulders. I loved his performance in Bhavesh Joshi and his hilarious cameo in AK vs AK. In Thar, he pulls off an effective portrayal of the suspenseful Siddharth character. Neither Anil nor Harshavardhan have had too many releases over the last couple of years. In fact, I don’t think Anil had a single release in 2021. So its nice to see both the Kapoors feature together in Thar. I guess when it rains, it pours (even in deserts).
Overall rating: 2.5/5
