Lakdabagha stars Anshuman Jha, Ridhi Dogra, Paresh Pahuja, Aksha Kerung and Milind Soman.
Despite some flaws, Lakdabagha will entertain you with its subtlety, an unusual plot and excellent performances.
- News18.com Mumbai, India
- Last Update: January 13, 2023, 10:41 IST
-
Follow us on:
Bollywood wants to name its movies after animals. While it was Varun Dhawan’s Bhediya that grabbed headlines in November last year, Anshuman Jha’s crime thriller Lakdabagha is a fitting addition to that list. This unconventional Victor Mukherjee film, which boasts of an extraordinary story, may be bereft of a nuanced execution, especially with regard to its pace, but that makes up for an engaging watch partly because films like Bhavesh Joshi Vigilance style has been attempted through The superhero was more or less broken due to its lack of making much of an impact. With all the cracks to its credit, Lakdabagha will entertain you with its nuances, an unusual plot and excellent performances.
The story is set in the city of Kolkata, which is troubled by an unknown watchman, who is known to go after rogue elements responsible for animal abuse. And while his identity remains a mystery for the moment, we are introduced to Arjun Bakshi (played by Anshuman Jha), who is one of those men who won’t hesitate to tackle stray dogs on the street. Fostering a calm and forthright demeanor, Arjun remains a peaceful person until he is forced to reveal a new side of himself by those around him. Vigilant Crime Branch officer Akshara D’Souza (played by Ridhi Dogra) sets out to solve the case and her determined pursuit crosses her path with Anshuman, a synchronous incident that takes the plot to the grim underbelly of drug smuggling, animal trafficking I take you forward. And much more – all this instigated by Akshara’s brother (much to her dismay) Aryan D’Souza (played by Paresh Pahuja). Being set in the place of these characters and governed and surrounded by the narrative, the woodcutter roams his squares in a dark forest.
Lakdabhaga gets the tone and theme right. It’s easy on your head and doesn’t require a lot of brain power of yours to break down what’s happening in front of you. It’s worth Victor Mukherjee’s attempt to tell a story with limited characters and a penny-pinching approach because today’s stories sometimes fall victim to the misnomer that a film needs complex elements to strike a chord with the audience. is required. Lakdabhaga defies all those notions and spins a tale that is neither pretentious nor gaudy. But since it is too simple, it could not use the abundance of its potential. No matter how brilliant an idea was in the minds of the producers, obvious clichés, predictable plot devices, flawed character traits, ridiculous tropes largely undermined the impact it set out to achieve (especially the climax towards).
Till the intermission, the film aimlessly tries to cover all the necessary bases and keeps introducing new angles to give edge to its characters. But the audience rarely learns about Akshara’s divorce with her husband or about Arjun’s tireless bid towards stray dogs and animals in general (except for a dull story about him and his father). . and a very general antagonist who is well-mannered, cunning, eloquent, and intentionally cruel. And yet we don’t know what incites her to do so (besides the fact that her father was dealt an unfair hand in life). He also has an assistant who brings some flavor to the film but his character is also shrouded in mystery. Thus, Woodman could have done a lot more in terms of fleshing out his characters since he had enough scope and screen time to establish that rapport.
What Woodman managed to do best was to stay true to the essence of the story- the cautious universe he presented with a backdrop of friendly dogs yearning for love and affection. The impeccable execution and choreography of the action and fight sequences will definitely be a treat for dog lovers and might even remind them of other iconic movies like John Wick and Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota. The film is also not preachy with ideologies of veganism or animal cruelty. The narrative lends itself to subtlety and reels you in only when it needs to. The climax doesn’t satisfy you completely as it is rushed and it barely scrapes through the surface. Frankly, if it had been made into a web series, it might have got more agency.
Anshuman Jha is consistently good in his character of Arjun Bakshi. With a Bruce Lee-like hairstyle and a knack for performing effortless martial arts moves, he can be pitied against any other Bollywood Action heroes like Tiger Shroff and Vidyut Jammwal. Riddhi Dogra looked the perfect fit for a cop with her poise and flamboyant personality. She was also able to master the action sequences like a pro. Paresh Pahuja was menacing as the foreboding villain and had an air of unmistakable indifference around him. But Aksha Kerung as the deadly assassin Vic was the real revelation as she embodied her character and made her debut without uttering a single piece of dialogue.
In short, the Woodcutter is a decent watch and will keep you hooked despite all the inconsistencies.
read all latest movie news Here