IFFM 2015 – NH10 Review

A nerve shattering reality expose of the socio-political chasm that underlies a society that appears both progressive and regressive at the same time, a society where rules, regulations, laws and the ideals enshrined in its Constitution are as deeply entrenched in the soil as the many hide bound conventions, blind obeisance to mindless customs and lawlessness that make a mockery of nemesis and socio-economic aspirations.

NH10, the amazingly bold crime thriller tells the story of two young professionals – Meera [Anuksha Sharma] and Arjun [Neil Bhoopalam] who hold corporate jobs in Gurgaon, a state away barely at a stone’s throw from  Delhi, the capital of India.

Meera gets a taste of the lawless patriarchal society when she has to commute at night to attend to emergent office work, getting molested on the way, her car window shattered.

And the police man when approached is more interested in counselling Arjun to not allowing Meera to go unescorted at night than in her molestation. After all, the technical, modernised glare of high rise buildings, corporate offices, the string of malls is just a show.

And the show ends where the last Mall ends and lack of electricity as of law blooms.

It is here that the patriarchal society captures a woman like fly in a spider’s web, where woman is a mere object of sex, full of flesh and blood and bereft of a mindset, of emotions, of feelings. She is alive only to be tossed about, molested, raped, abused and killed and has no power to script her own destiny.

Unmindful or seemingly unaware of the lawlessness, Arjun and Meera plan a trip on the National Highway Number 10 that connects Delhi to neighbouring Haryana and beyond.

As they break journey at a roadside eatery they are requested by a young girl to save her life.

Meera shrugs her off. But when Arjun notices the girl and her boy friend are a target of goons, he intervenes only to be repulsed.

The girl is dragged, beaten and along with her boy friend killed. Her crime : she chose to exercise her mind and decided to marry outside her caste-creed and therefore must pay the price to avenge family honour.

It is an honour killing and since it is witnessed by Arjun, the goons must finish him off too. Arjun becomes the first target and Meera leaving him at a safe place decides to go out to get help.

To her dismay, neither civilians nor the police are ready to help. All are hands in glove with the criminals, including the killed daughter’s mother.

NH10 is not for the weak-hearted because of its overdose of brutality, gory killings, blood shed – all seemingly endless making the film often times heavy and monotonous.

The music on the whole is not in sync with the theme of the movie barring the last song as the credits roll.

It remains a one woman show and is WORTH A WATCH for the scintillating performance of Anushka Sharma.