GAJAB RAAT Movie Review: A Decent Thriller That Falters in the Second Half

GAJAB RAAT Movie Review

GAJAB RAAT is a thriller that tells the story of a wild night. Ajay Nirvit, played by Manoj Bajpayee, is a corrupt and womanizing cop who raids a hotel named Lovely near Connaught Place, Delhi, on the orders of SHO Praveen Rana, played by Rajiv Gupta. During this time, a badly injured mysterious girl is kidnapped by CBI officer Navin Madhok, played by Akshay Oberoi. The girl escapes from the car and lands on the road, drawing a crowd and forcing Navin to flee. Ajay is assigned to take charge of the case. Neha Prabhu, played by Shraddha Das, also arrives and insists on joining the investigation to prevent the cops from botching it up.

Ajay takes the injured girl to the hospital, where Navin arrives in a panic because his seniors ordered him to eliminate the girl. Navin lies about taking over the case, but Ajay remains suspicious and informs Praveen. Praveen warns that the CBI officers are in deep trouble and might offer a hefty sum to let them kill the girl. Ajay is indeed offered Rs. 5 crores to finish her off, while NIA officer Karan Gill, played by Saqib Saleem, also arrives at the hospital.

The story and screenplay are by Ritesh Shah and Neeraj Pandey. While the initial setup shows promise and features gripping writing, the writing becomes unconvincing in the second half. The dialogues by Ritesh Shah and Neeraj Pandey are described as realistic, dramatic, and sharp. Ritesh Shah's direction is average, successfully managing numerous characters without making the narrative confusing. However, the film goes downhill in the second half when the identity of the girl and the motives of the powerful people wanting her dead are revealed. The plot strains credibility as a lone cop takes on all the villains, and Ajay's sudden change of heart remains difficult to digest despite a justifying dialogue. The climax is noted as convenient and detracts from the film's realism.

Performances

Manoj Bajpayee delivers a fantastic and entertaining performance that rises above the script. Akshay Oberoi provides a restrained yet impactful performance. Divya Dutta plays Suneeta Chaudhary with limited screen time but an arresting presence. Nushrratt Bharuccha appears as Rosie in a cameo, while Shraddha Das leaves a mark. Saqib Saleem has limited scope and his character's purpose is not fully explained. Rajiv Gupta raises laughs and is memorable, Kiku Sharda is dependable as Lovely, and Aditi Sandhya Sharma performs well in a crucial role as Arya Sahni. Shreya Rukmini, Sunit Tandon, and Sachin Kathuria round out the cast, though Kathuria is wasted in his role as journalist Sushil Kumar.

Technical Aspects

The film contains no songs. Sanjoy Chowdhury provides a tension-building background score, Arvind Singh handles immersive cinematography, and Abbas Ali Moghul directs realistic action. Falguni Thakore supplies realistic costumes, Rakesh Choudhary offers classy production design, and Praveen Kathikuloth delivers sharp editing.

Ultimately, GAJAB RAAT is a decent thriller that begins promisingly before faltering in the second half due to unconvincing developments and a convenient climax. Despite these flaws, the film is expected to find an audience on Netflix thanks to its impressive ensemble cast and the thriller genre's appeal.