Devki Sabarwal (Sridevi), a biology teacher's happy little family is shattered when her stepdaughter Aarya becomes a victim of physical and sexual abuse by her classmate and his gang. When the law acquits the criminals, it's upto Devki herself to serve justice.
Movie -
The initial scenes establish the main characters and Devki's troubled relationship with Aarya, her stepdaughter who is unwilling to accept her. The tone of the film is will set right in the beginning itself as we are introduced to the brat classmate right away forwarding a porn clip to Aarya. This incident leads to him having a grudge over Devki. The ordeal Aarya goes through on the fateful night is effectively captured with the overhead shots of the vehicle, while the background score ably supports it. The court proceedings go on a fast forward mode & the sufferings of the girl and her family is realistically captured. The culprits walk scott free due to lack of evidence & this leaves Devki with no other option but to take matters into her own hands. Help comes in her way in the form of a detective named DK (Nawazuddin Siddiqui). The first half ends on a powerful note.
The second half of the film goes into filmy mode where too many cinematic liberties are taken. The transformation of Devki into revenge seeking woman is presented way too softly to create the desired impact. Although the revenge scenes that does follow are clap-worthy only due to the writing capitalizing on audience's collective reaction towards the rape atrocities plaguing the society. While the scenes that unfold might actually gel well with the prevailing common emotions, the execution leaves very little impact. While Sridevi's Devki is a strong woman and Nawazuddin's DK provides able support, it's Akshaye Khanna's cop character that serves very little to this proceedings. The pace remains even throughout. The finale gets messed up as it gets way too filmy and repetitive. The predictability does act negatively in the second half.
Performances -
Sridevi shines in her role. She brings in much needed maturity and her histronics to portray this character is what makes this a memorable performance. Right from the go, she wins you over. Even during emotional outburst sequences, she never loses control. This was indeed an acting lesson by Sridevi to anybody who aspires to be an actress.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui as DK is really good and succeeds with his funny lines at regular intervals in an otherwise serious film. It is indeed a treat to watch him share the screen space with the legend.
Sajal Ali as Aarya does well with the character given to her. The characterization is a bit flawed but that's expected when you see it from a parent's perspective.
Akshaye Khanna is yet again wasted post Dishoom. Abhimanyu Singh as Jagan plays the regular baddie. Adnan Siddiqui as Sridevi's husband is perfectly cast and he is first rate.
Pluses -
1. Sridevi's honest performance and the way she carries the film on her shoulders.
2. The hospital sequence where Devki first finds Aarya.
3. The strong interval scene.
4. Nawazuddin Siddiqui's funny replies.
5. The revenge scenes especially the very first one. Audience clapped in the theater during that scene.
Minuses -
1. Convenient screenplay in the second half.
2. The transformation lacks the impact.
3. Too many cinematic liberties taken pull the film down.
4. Routine messy climax.
5. Akshaye Khanna is wasted yet again.
Final Rating - 2.5/5
Final Words - Sridevi shines in her 300th while the film ends up being a victim of it's all too convenient screenplay.
