Bheed Review: RajKummar Rao and Bhumi Pednekar starrer is a riveting lockdown drama that depicts India’s class difference

Gretel Sequeira

March 24, 2023
11:20 am
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Directed by Anubhav Sinha, the film Bheed was released in theatres on March 24. Read the review of the movie starring RajKummar Rao, Bhumi Pednekar, Pankaj Kapur, Dia Mirza, and Kritika Kamra.

Bheed Movie review

Over two years ago, in the blink of an eye, lots changed, for many families. After a nationwide COVID-19 lockdown was announced, several struggled to make ends meet, travel back home and feed their families. While the world saw many dying due to the virus, India, in its rural and under developed regions, saw a much bigger problem. The death toll due to unforeseen reasons than the pandemic, was unnerving. With Bheed, Anubhav Sinha highlights the struggles of the common man and India’s class difference, in a way that has not been told yet.

During and in the post-pandemic era, we have come across several movies and series that depict the struggle of the common man during the lockdown. However, Anubhav Sinha takes the struggle a notch higher with his black and white movie. Despite the lack of colour, Bheed shines with the protagonist being the ‘Aam admi’ entirely, and the antagonist being the society. It brings forward India’s age-old class difference and sheds light on the adversities the common man faced during the lockdown, while many of us enjoyed our time in the comforts of our home, preparing delectable dishes.

Bheed opens with Manoj Bajpayee’s narration. The first scene starts with a group of 16 workers walking (some barefoot) on railway tracks that is leading them towards home. After a long day, walking in the heat for hours, the workers rest and sleep on the railway tracks, for the night. In a shocking turn of events, an express train runs over them, causing the brutal death of 16, including women and children.

The perfection in the depiction of the opening scene leaves you enthralled and sets the seriousness of the situation, right away.

With the opening scene, Anubhav Sinha sets the pace of the film. And, the opening scene works well in getting you hooked. The plot of the movie starts to unfold with a scene where migrants are gathered in groups, at the Delhi state border, in the hope of crossing the state border and head home.

The film brings forward the stories of a duty in-charge (RajKummar Rao), who is fighting against casteism, despite being on a higher authority position, falling in love with a girl (Bhumi Pednekar), the doctor in-charge, a security guard, a purohit by caste, finding it difficult to understand how a lower caste can go up the ladder (Pankaj Kapur), a helpless mother (Dia Mirza), a officer who’s struggling to get his parents admitted due to COVID (Ashutosh Rana), a journalist (Kritika Kamra), and a girl who cycles her way home with her drunk father.

Story:

The plot of Bheed reminds you of the times when families struggled due to the partition. The times after they were forced to leave their homes and move to a new land to find shelter. The film’s plot revolves around the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown and highlights the major class difference in the country, communicating the struggles of the people to reach their respective homes and villages.

Star performances:

RajKummar Rao is Surya Kumar Singh Tikas, an officer in-charge, Bhumi Pednekar as a doctor in-charge and Dia Mirza as a helpless mother deliver a noteworthy performance. Pankaj Kapur, who makes an appearance as a security guard, seemingly does his best to lead his ‘gawwale’. He plays his character well and there is nothing to fault, with the veteran’s performance. Kritika Kamra plays a journalist in the film. And, Kamra put up a convincing act as an on-field reporter.

Sushil Pandey, who plays Dia Mirza’s driver in the film is hard to miss with his impactful performance. His performance adds depth to his loyal and humane character.

Throughout the movie, one can clearly understand how the filmmaker focuses on the ‘Bheed’ rather the stellar ensemble cast. He uses his stellar ensemble cast to help understand the class difference and struggle of the people.

Direction and Screenplay:

Anubhav Sinha, Soumya Tiwari and Sonali Jain do a great job when it comes to the plot of the film. A well-knitted plot and a proper execution of the screenplay makes the movie more real. What’s impressive is how the filmmaker adds depth to every character with hard-hitting dialogues. In terms of the music and background score, the rural songs help to express the emotions in the scenes.

Conclusion

Bheed solely focuses on the troubles that the lower class faced during the lockdown. With the movie, Anubhav Sinha brings forward that part of India you never knew about in news channels or the social media, during or after the lockdown. He treats you with jawbreaker scenes that manage to leave chills down your spine. Sinha makes it hard to spot flaws in this fiction turned reality.

Watch the trailer after the Bheed review: