Bandar Movie Review : Bobby Deol shines in Anurag Kashyap’s unsettling prison drama

Story: Samar Mehra (Bobby Deol), a washed-out actor in his 50s, makes a living performing his lone hit song at weddings. Struggling financially and clinging to faded fame, his world comes crashing down when he is arrested on rape charges. The complainant is Gayatri (Sapna Pabbi), a woman he once hooked up with through a dating app.

Review: Samar insists he is the real victim, claiming Gayatri is a psychotic stalker seeking revenge after he ghosted and blocked her. The police counter his version by reading out their explicit text exchanges and inform him that he is accused not only of rape, but also extortion and blackmail.

Soon, Samar finds himself trapped in judicial custody, with his bail hearing repeatedly delayed and eventually denied owing to the gravity of the allegations. The prison is overcrowded, filthy and hostile, with sexually frustrated rival camps eyeing the "hero" as easy prey. It takes Samar time to realise that this is not a temporary nightmare, he is in for a long and brutal ordeal.

Co-directed by Anurag Kashyap, Sakshi Mehta and co-written by Sudip Sharma and Abhishek Banerjee, the story appears loosely inspired by the much-publicised case of a television actor-singer accused of rape in 2019.

Despite its premise, the film avoids the conventional route. It is neither a whodunit nor a thriller obsessed with uncovering the truth. Instead, it examines a flawed system that often forgets the principle of "innocent until proven guilty," especially when a celebrity is involved. More importantly, it scrutinises how society, the media, the judiciary and even ordinary people transform an ongoing investigation into a public spectacle. It is striking that even people accused of murder can be deeply judgmental of those accused of rape within the prison system. Nobody seeks the truth; we seek entertainment. What happens to the accused while the process unfolds? This story chooses to explore that question through Samar's eyes.

Casting Bobby Deol is the film's masterstroke. He looks and feels broken in what is arguably his finest and most demanding performance in years. The narrative pushes him to the edge, stripping away every shred of dignity, respect and self-worth. Rarely has Deol appeared this vulnerable and helpless on screen. Kashyap relentlessly unsettles his protagonist and, in doing so, leaves the audience equally shaken.

The film also highlights how prolonged undertrial detention violates a person's right to a fair trial. Beyond exposing the appalling conditions inside overcrowded prisons and the routine denial of basic constitutional rights, the drama observes how the endless pursuit of justice can become more punishing than the punishment itself.

Credit to the writers for resisting the temptation to whitewash Samar or others who claim innocence while in custody. The film acknowledges that allegations against men are often viewed through a particular lens, but it never reduces its argument to a simplistic gender debate.

Sanya Malhotra, Saba Azad and Sapna Pabbi are excellent in their respective roles, while the ensemble of actors playing police officers, including Jitendra Joshi and Nagesh Bhosle, deliver uniformly strong performances. This is not an easy film to watch. It is disturbing, repulsive and occasionally repetitive. Think of horror sensation ‘obsession’ in an Anurag Kashyap universe. But that discomfort is precisely the point. The film succeeds because it refuses to offer easy answers or emotional relief. It is not meant to make you feel better, it is meant to leave you unsettled.