Trigger Warning: Mentions of sexual assault, violence, suicide.
A kid at Geeta Colony is kidnapped and all hell breaks loose. 1000 kids in Shahadara are murdered, their organs are harvested and not one bats an eyelid. If this doesn't show the dichotomy of the two Indias we live in, what does?
In a scene from Aditya Nimbalkar's Sector 36, Inspector Ram Charan Pandey (played by the versatile Deepak Dobriyal) says "There are 150,000 police cases in Sector 36. We are just three policemen. That means 50,000 cases per policeman".
Sector 36 Movie: Plot
The burnout experienced by the policemen in the country is real. That doesn't excuse Ram Charan's apathy as he refuses to file an FIR over a seemingly innocent father when his 10-year-old daughter goes missing.
Tragedy hits home when his own daughter is kidnapped. His wife, played by a spunky Ipshita Chakraborty, thunders—”if you can't protect your own kids, how will you protect others?”
Sector 36: Performances
Deepak Dobriyal is an acting powerhouse. After Bhediya, the actor looks practically unrecognizable as Inspector Ram. Dobriyal has proved yet again, that he is no longer the hero's best friend—he radiates main character energy and how!
Vikrant Massey is simply phenomenal as a creepy, predatory man who murders children in cold blood and sells their organs for money at the behest of a rich property owner. His sinister laugh, deadpan look and an overall Jeffrey Dahmer-like aura will send shivers down your spine.
The way he channels this simply unhinged, psychotic Prem seems so effortless. As a critic, I daresay this might just be the performance of the year on OTT space.
Sector 36: Writing And Direction
What works for Sector 36 is that it delves deep into the power structures and while it does so, it also offers a flashback to Prem's past. Violence begets violence. Abuse begets Abuse. As Ram tries to catch this predator, he gets more powerful.
What I loved was a montage of Durga Puja celebrations interspersed with visuals of Dhol and kids (all of whom have been sexually abused and murdered) looking into the camera, telling us their names—Chumki, Ravi, Manoj. Reality hits you. All of these young lives were lost.
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Sector 36: What Works, What Doesn't
As a critic my biggest (and only) gripe with the film is that it doesn't give enough trigger warnings (barring the usual disclaimer and a suicide helpline). The trigger warning could have been stronger.
I love a film that gives plenty of visual queues and foreshadowing for one to dissect later. Post the Ramleela scene, we see inspector Ram dressed in a Raavan costume and Prem wearing a mask. The scene is ironic. At another point in the film, Prem tells Ram “Ram Rajya mein sab Raavan banke ghoom rahe hain (In God’s Kingdom, everyone is a demon)”. Brilliant dialogues and a gripping plot make Sector 36 a must-watch.
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Star rating: 3.5 / 5 stars
Sector 36 is now streaming on Netflix.
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