‘Nikita Roy,’ directed by Kussh Sinha, was released on 18th July in theatres and stars Sonakshi Sinha, Paresh Rawal, Arjun Rampal, and Suhail Nayyar.
Haunted by grief, driven by truth
'Nikita Roy,' a horror-thriller with an investigative backbone, takes an ambitious swing at combining mystery with the supernatural. And to be fair, it does have a compelling premise. The tension is steady, the pacing tight in parts, and the atmosphere laced with a lingering unease. But despite its promise, the film fumbles in its execution.
The final ten minutes come in like an express train—fast, rushed, and far too overloaded. It feels as though the makers were in a hurry to wind things up, sacrificing nuance for urgency. It leaves you with questions—not the curious kind, but the frustrating ones.
A sister’s relentless pursuit
At the centre is Nikita Roy (Sonakshi Sinha), a celebrated author who travels to London after the sudden and suspicious death of her brother, Dr. Sanal Roy (Arjun Rampal). Sanal had been trying to expose Amar Dev (Paresh Rawal), a self-styled godman, and Nikita believes his death wasn’t an accident. Teaming up with Jolly Hans (Suhail Nayyar), her ex, she begins unpeeling the mystery layer by layer.
Her investigation leads her to Freya, a mole planted by Sanal in the godman’s commune. But when Freya is found dead before she can talk, things spiral into darker, more dangerous territory.
A missing courier package, a commune that doesn’t welcome questions, and a trail that grows colder with each new clue—Nikita’s journey is filled with more dead ends than revelations.
Faith vs logic
Beneath the surface, ‘Nikita Roy’ is more than just an unsolved mystery. It pits faith against reason and belief against evidence. And while that philosophical tension is intriguing, it’s never fully explored. The screenplay remains too focused on Nikita while letting other characters hover on the sidelines.
Even Amar Dev, the antagonist, feels underused. Paresh Rawal plays him with eerie calm, but his refined Hindi feels jarringly out of place in London’s setting. The absence of sharp confrontational scenes between him and Sonakshi’s character is a missed opportunity. As for the horror, it’s present—but mostly in atmosphere. There are no genuine scares, only a few chilling moments that stop short of delivering impact.
Sonakshi anchors the film
Sonakshi Sinha is, without doubt, the film’s anchor. She brings restraint and quiet rage to Nikita, balancing grief with resolve. There’s no over-the-top dramatics here—just a woman determined to find answers, even if it destroys her.
Paresh Rawal, despite the limitations of his role, brings a natural stillness to the screen. You wish his character had more meat. Suhail Nayyar as Jolly adds little to the story, serving more as Nikita’s shadow than a real participant in the investigation.
Arjun Rampal appears briefly as Sanal, but his performance carries weight—even if his character disappears too soon.
A decent start, but not quite there yet
In the end, ‘Nikita Roy’ feels like a first draft of a better film. The ingredients are there: a strong central character, a relevant theme, and a brooding tone. But somewhere along the way, the story forgets to breathe.
It doesn’t engage the audience in the mystery. It doesn’t allow for emotional payoff. It lays out all its cards in the final act, instead of letting the audience play along. Kussh Sinha does show promise—he clearly understands mood and build-up—but his inexperience shows in the way things are stitched together. For a debut, it’s a passable attempt.
One that may not haunt you after the credits roll but holds your attention while it lasts.
Rating: 3/5
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