Vadh 2 review: Once upon a ‘righteous’ crime

Vadh 2 review: Once upon a ‘righteous’ crime

A police officer’s pursuit in unravelling the mystery behind a sudden disappearance of a nefarious prisoner intertwines with the lives of a widowed prison guard and a soon to be released inmate in Jaspal Singh Sandhu’s ‘Vadh 2’. Headlined by Luv Ranjan films, ‘Vadh 2’ is a spiritual follow-up to the 2022 film where the ambitious endeavor of crafting a franchise with stories woven around crime, morality and redemption is evident. The intentions are noble, the craft is impressive and the casting is competent.

In ‘Vadh 2’, Sanjay Mishra and Neena Gupta reprise their names from its predecessor – Sambhunath Mishra and Manju Singh – but are implanted in a new plot set in a jail based in Shivpuri, MP. While Manju is at the brink of her prison tenure for a crime she didn’t apparently commit, Sambhu works as a jail guard under a newly appointed caste-obsessed and stern jailer, Prakash Singh (Kumud Mishra). Manju and Sambhu share a tender relationship that has blossomed over the years with the surreptitious supply of favors across the walls of the prison.

 

Things are hunky dory until the arrival of an unruly bully and brother of a powerful MLA, Keshav aka Bhure Bhaiyya (Akshay Dogra) who locks horns with Prakash Singh for his notoriety. And on one fine night, his sudden and prolonged disappearance disrupts the decorum and sets off an inquiry in the jail, helmed by Inspector Ateet Singh (Amitt K.Singh).

The beauty of ‘Vadh 2’ lies in its rooted milieu and layered storytelling. Despite being a crime drama, it sticks to the slow burn template with subtle nuances that emphasize on suspense and a worldbuilding that relies on wintry evenings. Sandhu doesn’t build it with loud music or frantic editing – he lets the calm set in, slowly and steadily, until violence arrives at the turning point with brutal clarity, but a toned-down viscerally.

The pacing is lazy and it might hurt a certain section of viewers who derive dopamine from pulpy, frenetic thrillers but Sandhu’s characters are meticulously written – Both Sanjay Mishra and Neena Gupta are at top of their game and deliver endearing performances. Kumud Mishra treads the complexities of his character beautifully – as the superintendent who probes into the surnames of any person he interacts; Mishra portrays the deep-rooted casteism that has plagued our society and values. Akshay, albeit in a cameo, delivers creeps and Shilpa Shukla makes a mark as the chief lady guard. Amitt Singh is more inert than effective.

 

---

---