Overrated

Nice effects though.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

I have been meaning to see NH 10 for some time now, finally managed to catch it on a flight today. In a word, this is a terrifying film.Terrifying because it is real. Terrifying because this could happen to you, to me, to anyone of us. Riveting because it was well enacted.Ideally one should see this in a theatre or at least on a large screen TV rather than on a tiny flight screen with abysmal graphics. This is because most of the film is shot in the dark and you do need a good screen to get the best effect. On the other hand, the incidents portrayed are so real and it happened at night so this is how it is in the dark.I have always admired Anushka Sharma as an actress right from Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and in Band Bajaa Baraat and in Ladies V/s Ricky Bahl. She was superb in NH 10. I thought the husband was Rajkumar Rao but turns out it was Neil Bhoopalam who also essayed his role brilliantly. As did all the other characters. Very realistic, and terrifyingly true. I do not want to disclose the plot in my reviews, suffice it to say that this is a horrific portrayal of reality in certain parts of the country, and well worth watching.

Synopsis In the absence of love and attachment – you turn into a demon – a devil! Male EGO may cost you (males) your life!!….even female ego can…basically EGO is harmful!! Do not interfere in someone else's affairs…Oil you own machine (famous quote in Bengal).Kudos to Anuskha (Anu)! Here is the storyline.Both man and wife (Anushka) are working in the corporate sector. Anu is a Product Manager & is shown giving a presentation of a Woman's hygiene product and her job is to spread (effectively launch & market) the product in the rural areas of India. She suggests the name 'Sathy' (meaning Friend) because usually the rural area ladies seldom go to the market, are shy and therefore send children to the market to buy stuff. Thus an easy name is suggested so that children can remember it easily! She then shows some graphs and charts trying to 'understand the rural India' trends and successfully convinces the board of presenters of her idea…and knowledge of the rural areas…..Immediately after the presentation, she had planned to go on a holiday with her husband – by road – and thus the meeting is broken abruptly – like no questions asked – as the Boss mentions about Anu's holiday plan. This is not taken very well by the other male subordinates in the board room…showing: be it village or town or city…a talented and versatile woman is difficult for the males to digest! Anu was in possession of a licensed pistol – which she had reluctantly accepted only when a police officer had suggested her to carry one. He mentions something like – when an area is going through a teething phase (development), untoward incidents are bound to happen (like she was about to be nabbed by a couple of street thugs …at midnight while she was driving back alone)!! The area happens to be Gurgaon btw…..outskirts of our capital city New Delhi! The beginning of the END: Both drive off and decide to stop by a local dhaba for refreshments. Suddenly Anu and her husband witness a crime scenario – where a brother is seen dragging his own sister by her hair and others in his gang were brutally hitting a boy (sister's lover) right in front of everyone else!! Hubby tries to stop but he gets a slap in return….by the brother……and his male ego got hurt…badly hurt! Hubby could not get over the insult and decides to scare the – supposedly illiterate and naïve villagers – with the pistol – much to Anu's disapproval. Bad decision. Hubby witnesses the brutality with which the brother and his gang members kill the lovers (Manoj and Pinky – both belonged to the same Gotra – a sub-class of caste system – which is not approved by the village elders!) Hubby tires to run away…but unfortunately they (hubby and wife) are caught eavesdropping and the villagers – the gang of 6 people ie. – decide to kill them as well…since they had witnessed the crime! They somehow escape but could not go further and the husband gets badly bruised. Anu makes her husband wait and runs for help towards the village….she reaches the local Police station and finds, to her dismay, that the cops were well aware of the incident and it was considered an 'honor killing' in the locality! The police of course gives his point of view too – saying that they live among the villagers and in order to survive, they have to listen and obey to what the majority believes and follows! The Inspector himself tries to hand over Anu to the thugs – who were first planning to rape her and then of course murder her as well! Hubby was closely related to a senior Police officer in the city – D.I.G rank but the villagers didn't pay much heed to the designation! Tie your safety Belts……Meet the village Lady surpanch! She reaches the village Surpanch (Panchayat Head) and finds that it was headed by a lady – Dipti Navel! Little did she know that Pinky was Dipti's daughter and it was she who had given the orders to kill her daughter Pinky for daring to fall in love and trying to elope with the boy!(yea – the same Anu had made a presentation in the morning saying that villager ladies were shy and do not speak up – lol – and Dipti is shown slapping her grown-up son for being careless!! – like how many educated working mothers residing in Metropolitan cities would dare to slap their sons – even when the son is totally at fault??!not many I am sure – none in fact…….meaning that graphs and charts and venn diagrams do not say a thing about human psychology…and it is such a waste of time and effort!!) Anyways, till the time Anu was concerned about her husband's health, she was scared and anxious to reach him help. She somehow escapes from the brutes but finds that her husband had already been killed by the thugs. It is at this moment, Anu turns into a blood-thirsty she-demon from being a knowledgeable, versatile, talented and intelligent corporate woman…and rightly so! She kills all 5 of them…heartlessly, as cold blooded-ly as they were in killing the couple ..and is shown as a changed woman – re-born in her new avatar – 'a heartless cold blooded killer woman' on her birthday! See, as I started… In the absence of love and attachment – you turn into a demon – a devil! Conclusion: Ego – of hubby took his life ! Hatred – Born out of caste-creed system – killed the couple! Revenge – Anu's vengeance killed the 5 thugs.

"NH10" stands for a section of Highway in India where a couple witness a case of honor killing; and their run for life from the ignorant family members of a rural village sets the next two hours of the film which capsules a deadly night the couple gets to endure. In just a small capsule of time the film captures, it tries to powerfully show how honor killings still occur in the villages of India and even police watches it silently. Though the film looks dark and has unlovable moments to watch it with your family, it has a rawness and clarity seldom seen in Indian Movies. Anuska Sharma's performance is the best part of the film who just brilliantly charts the character from a normal urban working lady wanting no intrusion to a furious lady running for life. By the end, you'll feel a harrowing experience of survival when the secured life goes out of your hand and you're on a run. At this point, the film leaves you stunned and speechless.Rating: 3 stars out of 4

OK, I had relatively high expectations for this movie due to the positive reviews and promising story. However, I was disappointed. The protagonist to begin with was very annoying - a moody career obsessed female. The actual action is preset with a random criminal attack and acts of violence plus people in the office seems to disrespect her. Then she and her boyfriend go for romantic trip to the countryside, get lost in a detour and encounter some thugs. The boyfriend is @smart@ enough to go back and confront them and all hell .... loose. I assume that having a strong woman in an action movie instead a sugar coated Bollywood heroin is impressive in India but I also assume the movie would not be appreciated that high internationally. I give it a 6 as it is a decent movie nevertheless.