A script inspired by a real case dramatizes a bit on the way, but gets real at the end—this was a case that was dragged for 14 long years by the culprit himself, who becomes his own lawyer and studies and makes use of all the ‘provisions’ in Law to circumvent the truth. The film is adapted from the real-life case of Cyanide Mohan, a primary schoolteacher who was based in Karnataka.
Before I watched it on Z5, a friend dismissed it in a conversation as a “wannabe Dahaad” (the superb 2023 series that starred Sonakshi Sinha), but that film too was said to be inspired by the same case, though Bhagwat is a more faithful reconstruction.
The film’s strength lies in its placidity that gives it an menacingly ominous aura, even midway when we come to know that the pleasant, ever-smiling, low-key young man with various aliases, Sameer (Jitendra Kumar) is a ruthless and inhuman killer who murders women after inveigling them to elope, spends a night with them in a hotel and uses cyanide pills, calling them instant contraceptives by invoking their fears of pregnancy.
No, that is no spoiler! If you cannot already guess it, it is revealed pretty early into the 127-minute film!
His foil is ardent cop, DSP Vishwas Bhagwat (Arshad Warsi), known for his unconventional and ruthless approaches to criminals, who is posted to Robertsganj near Lucknow as a ‘punitive’ but job-saving position. But the town has just had a case of a missing girl, and a local politician has built a “love jihad” narrative around her disappearance.
As the trails lead from one (discovered) missing girl to another, helped by call records and intense investigations, Bhagwat homes in on the identity of a man named Rajkumar, who is the demon (raakshas) behind it all and even has two wives who know of each other!
Parallelly, Meera (Ayesha Kaduskar) is a young woman brought up in an orthodox Hindu family. She encounters Sameer by chance and their acquaintance metamorphoses into love from her side. Sameer recognizes her orthodox upbringing and tells her they should elope as he is a Muslim. Meera finally agrees.
How do all these threads come together? And how does Bhagwat’s tragic family past induce his implacable determination forms the rest of this no-holds-barred crime narrative.
Arshad Warsi is very good as Bhagwat, and going by this film’s title, we can expect more ‘chapters’ with him as the impassioned police officer. Jitendra Kumar’s easygoing maniacal bent is outstanding, and he is effortless as the simple, nonchalant, ever-smiling Rajkumar / Sameer who has a maniacal fetish for nubile women (who mostly cannot get married due to various reasons) and also their jewelry that he obtains from them after they are dead—for his wife!
Ayesha Kaduskar is winsome as Meera, and Devas Dikshit as sub-inspector Mahto impresses big-time. The rest of the cast and the technical aspects are par for the course. Mangesh Dhakde’s score is mostly befitting, though Raghav-Arjun’s two songs barely make a mark.
The script could have been less abrupt in the end, even keeping the real aspects intact. Akshay Shere, otherwise, is a decent addition to the ever-growing tribe of debutant directors today.
Rating: ***1/2
Z5 presents Jio Studios’, Baweja Studios’ & Dog ‘n’ Bone Pictures’ Bhagwat Chapter One: Raakshas Produced by: Jyoti Deshpande, Pammi Baweja, Harman Baweja, Kanishk Gangwal & Vipin Agnihotri Directed by: Akshay Shere Written by: Bhavini Bheda & Sumit Saxena Music: Raghav-Arjun Starring: Arshad Warsi, Jitendra Kumar, Ayesha Kaduskar, Devas Dikshit, Tara Alisha Berry, Rashmi Rajput, Akanksha Pandey, Praveen Arora, Coral Bhamra, Areen Askari, Dadhi Pandey, Gaurav Prince & others
