Sector 36

As just another crime thriller, Sector 36 is well made. But this was not an ordinary crime, and the film needed much more than just a police procedural. With the benefit of hindsight, the advantage of fictionalising, and without the pressures of the box office, Writer Bodhayan Roychaudhary and Director Nimbalkar could have delved deeper into the case and its impact. Obviously, class plays an important role but did the deplorable attempt at a cover up by the cops have any implication? How was society of the time and the media affected by it? The performances are excellent. Deepak Dobriyal has a clearly defined character graph and holds his own against Massey, who is unfortunately made to play Prem with an almost charismatic insouciance.

The film is fashioned as a cat-and-mouse game between the psychopathic Prem (Vikrant Massey) and Inspector Ram Charan Pandey (Deepak Dobriyal), and in the first half, it succeeds in creating fear and revulsion as we watch the making of a monster. Massey, in a 360 degree turnaround from the sincere student of 12th Fail, works at making his Prem believable, his unctuous smile and creepy banter hiding his real self: this is not a man you would want waiting for you on a dark street. But it unravels at the exact point when he is allowed a long diatribe which doubles up as a confession, the build-up of the dread dissipating as he rants on.

Sector 36 is a dramatic representation of the case and a few creative liberties have been taken. However, it still works as a stand-alone mysterious crime film. The challenge is enduring over two hours of the film as it unfolds a relentless sequence of gore before your eyes. The performances are the key, even the sincere ones by actors Darshan Jariwala (DY SP Rastogi) and Akash Khurana (Bassi), but the question remains: can you? If you can, then it's going to be one of the most gruelling and gripping viewing experiences you've ever had.Â