| Starcast | Neeru Bajwa , Prince Kanwaljit, Dheeraj Kumar, Raghveer Boli |
| Director | Garinder Sidhu |
The fans have been demanding plots other than comedy from Punjabi Cinema for a long time now. Stepping out of the set perimeters has always been a challenge for producers. The genre of thriller altogether is a thrilling task for makers and producers along with the acting crew since the audience has not been very accepting of the former ever. Lately, concepts under Gippy Grewal’s banner have made us question the above. His project namely, Warning has set a benchmark along with proving to the audience that cinema is so much more than just comedy. After Warning, his other project which had our expectations drooling was ‘Criminal’.
Bankrolled by Big Daddy Films, the project has some of the most promising faces namely, Neeru Bajwa,Dheeraj Kumar, Prince Kanwaljit, Raghveer Boli and others. Criminal has been directed by Garinder Sidhu who marks his debut in the industry with the same. Now, let’s have a look at our Criminal movie review to learn what different it is offering.
Story And Screenplay
The film begins with a disturbed couple, Arjun(Dheeraj Kumar) and Mahi (Neeru Bajwa) finding a way to resolve their vulnerable marriage by going on a trip and pulling out into their apartment, where dreadful gangsters have found solace after escaping the jail, ready to gun down anyone in their path to freedom. The couple tries their best to escape and inform the police but when the pressure becomes too much to bear, they shall stake their lives.
When considering the screenplay, we must applaud the team for some scenes that hit rock bottom. The narrative has been perfectly envisioned and nowhere through the movie do you feel doomed. One thing to count in the Criminal movie review is that more work could have been done on the climax,which wasn’t up to the anticipated level. One finds itself more invested in the plot pre-climax. We feel more could have been bought to the script. But overall, a good product has been delivered.
Performance
No matter how much the criminals have been glorified in the trailer, Neeru Bajwa is the flame of the project. She has thereby delivered one of the finest of her performances. She looks fearless, charismatic and gorgeous at the same time. Seeing her in a thriller is surely the best thing.
Coming to Prince Kanwaljit, his acting skills are proof of the fact that he is a class apart. His attention to detail and holding on to the character will get you goosebumps. His character ‘Bhoora’ is going to be a benchmark character for more thrillers to come.
Raghveer Boli has impressed us with his new side. It feels like there was so much to Boli that this movie has revealed. His flow and dialogue delivery is commendable. Dheeraj Kumar looks promising and has justified his love angle with Neeru more than the thrill one. He is sincere and surprising in equal parts.
There were some other characters in the project too who contributed equally and did full justice to the script.
Direction
Garinder Sidhu surely had a lot of expectations with such a sensitive project on his shoulders. He has maintained a steady grip on the narrative for most of the parts. Considering his debut, overall the film has been visioned well. What it does lack is a tighter edit and climax that could elevate the narrative. Overall, it is almost how a thriller should be.
Music
The music proves to be one of its strong points, especially the background score dedicated to Bhoora’s character, which stays with you even after you leave the theatre.
Dialogues
The criminal Movie review would have been incomplete without applauding the dialogues. Crime dramas and thrillers demand nasty dialogues which might be hoarse to the ears but build a villain’s identity. Criminal movie’s dialogues deserve equal attention and appreciation.
There are several dialogues in the film which shall move you. Some might be funny or bizarre but a few of them surely leave you shaken.
Overall
In concluding our Criminal movie review, we believe there is no other way to tell a story of this magnitude, covering a sensitive marriage and then a high-end criminal drama, examining the intersection of organized crime, capitalism, and civic government in as exacting detail as it does, in any less time. This is without even mentioning, exactly the scale on which Gippy Grewal envisioned it to be. Though the movie is a crime thriller, the climax isn’t as big a surprise as it should have been, which takes away from its thrill quotient. Script’s accessibility to attain certain things makes some sequences predictable and also there could have been more justice to the plot and the actors.
Kiddaan rates Criminal a 3.5 out of 5 stars. The deduction in stars is because of the formerly mentioned reason encircling the climax. Also, the script felt loose at some points. We feel more could have been bought out of Prince Kanwaljit and Dheeraj Kumar.
If you are in for some drama and thrill, you should go watch Criminal in cinemas near you. Watch the trailer of Criminal here,
