Badlapur (film)

Badlapur
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Sriram Raghavan
Produced by	Dinesh Vijan<br/>Sunil Lullaa
Written by	Sriram Raghavan<br/>Arijit Biswas<br/>Pooja Ladha Surti
Story by	Massimo Carlotto
Based on	Death's Dark Abyss<br>by Massimo Carlotto
Starring	Varun Dhawan Nawazuddin Siddiqui Huma Qureshi Radhika Apte Yami Gautam Divya Dutta
Music by	Sachin–Jigar
Cinematography	Anil Mehta
Edited by	Pooja Ladha Surti
Production company	Maddock Films
Distributed by	Eros International
Release date	20 February 2015 (2015-02-20)
Running time	135 minutes<ref>"Badlapur". bbfc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 23 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.</ref>
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Budget	₹16 crore<ref>"Varun Dhawan's Badlapur is a Rs. 25 crore film – The complete details". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 23 February 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015. The film has been made at around Rs. 16 crores...</ref>
Box office	<!--Do not remove-->est.<!--per discussion at WP:ICTF--> ₹103 crore<ref>"Badlapur Box Office Collection &#124; India &#124; Day Wise &#124; Box Office - Bollywood Hungama". Bollywood Hungama. 20 February 2015. Archived from the original on 23 February 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2020.</ref>

Badlapur (stylized as बदलाPUR) (transl. City of Revenge), subtitled on screen as Don't Miss The Beginning, is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language crime thriller film<ref>"Badlapur To Bhediya, Must-Watch Varun Dhawan Films Before Border 2". CNN-News18. Directed by Sriram Raghavan, Badlapur is a dark crime thriller following Raghu (Varun Dhawan), a man consumed by vengeance after his wife and son are killed in a bank robbery.</ref> directed by Sriram Raghavan and produced by Dinesh Vijan and Sunil Lulla under Maddock Films and Eros International. Based on the novel Death's Dark Abyss by Italian writer Massimo Carlotto, the film stars Varun Dhawan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, with Huma Qureshi, Yami Gautam, Vinay Pathak, Kumud Mishra, Divya Dutta and Radhika Apte in supporting roles. It is widely considered as the best performance of Varun Dhawan.<ref>"Oops moment: Varun Dhawan's punch lands Vinay Pathak in hospital". India Today. 18 August 2014. Archived from the original on 11 May 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2019.</ref><ref>"'Badlapur' is content-driven and entertaining: Radhika Apte". Indian Express. 18 February 2015. Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2019.</ref>

Badlapur was released on 20 February 2015 to positive reviews from critics. The film grossed approximately ₹103 crore (US$14 million) worldwide and became a commercial success. On 11 January 2016, the film was nominated for Best Film in the 61st Filmfare Awards, as well as other categories.<ref>"Badlapur: A numerological review of the movie". merinews.com. Archived from the original on 17 February 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.</ref><ref name="auto">"Badlapur – Movie – Box Office India". boxofficeindia.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2018.</ref>

Plot

<!--Per WP:FILMPLOT, plot summaries should be between 400-700 words--> Two friends, Liaq and Harman, rob a bank in Pune and steal a car belonging to Misha and her son Robin. During the chase that follows, Robin falls out of the car and Misha gets shot. According to their plan, Harman escapes while the police, led by Inspector Govind, arrest Liaq. Both Misha and Robin die, leaving Raghav "Raghu" Purohit, Misha's husband and Robin's father devastated. He attacks Liaq in prison and approaches a private detective who tells him about Liaq's girlfriend, a sex worker named Jhimli. Raghu offers all the insurance money he received from his son's death in exchange for Liaq's partner's name, but Jhimli refuses. Enraged, he sexually assaults her. Liaq is convicted for the robbery and sentenced to jail, while Raghu withdraws from society and begins living a reclusive life far from Pune.

Fifteen years later, Liaq becomes terminally ill and wishes to spend his remaining life with his mother Zeenat. Raghu is approached by a social worker, Shobha, who asks him to forgive Liaq, but he declines. Zeenat later catches up with Raghu and tells him Liaq's partner's name, wanting her son to be paroled on compassionate grounds. Liaq is paroled but trailed by one of Inspector Govind's subordinates in plainclothes form, so as to trace Harman. Raghu locates Harman and is invited to lunch by Harman's wife Kanchan "Koko" Khatri, where his true intentions are revealed. Harman denies having killed Misha and Robin and Koko pleads that he spare them. Raghu demands she sleep with him in exchange. He takes her to the bedroom and exacts revenge by making Koko strip and forcing her to scream to make Harman believe they're having sex.

Liaq contacts Harman for his share of the money but Raghu murders Koko and Harman with a hammer. He then goes to meet Shobha and pretends to be in love with her, creating the perfect alibi. Liaq learns that Zeenat gave Harman's name to Raghu in exchange for his freedom. Shobha is enraged to learn that Raghu told the cops they had sex. A fight ensues between Raghu and Liaq, culminating in the latter initially overpowering the former until he is himself subdued after Raghu gains an upper hand. Liaq reveals that he did kill Raghu's family but more in a moment sheer panic unlike Raghu, who he points out, planned his murders with a cool mind and without guilt.

Liaq goes to meet Jhimli, now the concubine of a local businessman, Patil, one last time before his death. Having circumstantial evidence against Raghu, Inspector Govind tries to blackmail him into giving him Liaq's share of the money. However, Liaq walks into the police station and takes the blame for Raghu's crimes, giving Raghu a second chance to live life while redeeming himself.

After seven months, Liaq succumbs to cancer in jail and Jhimli makes Raghu realize the futility of his revenge. She drives away with Patil, leaving Raghu standing in the rain.

Cast

(L-R)Varun Dhawan, Huma Qureshi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui.

• Varun Dhawan as Raghav Purohit
• Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Liaq
• Huma Qureshi as Janki "Jhimli" Dagaonkar, a sex-worker who is Liaq's girlfriend
• Yami Gautam as Misha Senthil Purohit, Raghu's wife
• Divya Dutta as Shobha
• Vinay Pathak as Harman
• Radhika Apte as Kanchan "Koko" Khatri
• Ashwini Kalsekar as Mrs. Joshi
• Murali Sharma as Michael Dada
• Pratima Kazmi as Zeenat Mohammed Tungrekar, Liaq's mother
• Zakir Hussain as Shardul Patil, a businessman who later employs Jhimli as a concubine
• Kumud Mishra as Inspector Govind
• Neel Tyagi as Robin Purohit, Raghu's son

Production

The film began shooting in May 2014.<ref>Gupta, Priya. "Varun Dhawan to play three generations in Sriram Raghavan's next". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2015.</ref><ref>"Sriram Raghavan's next with Varun titled Badlapur". Bollywood Hungama. 13 June 2014. Archived from the original on 14 June 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2015.</ref><ref>"Varun Dhawan in Sriram Raghavan's next?". Bollywood Hungama. 22 May 2013. Archived from the original on 5 June 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2015.</ref>

The film prominently features several locations in Pune. Notable scenes include an intense car chase sequence filmed in the Camp area, and a pivotal moment where Yami Gautam’s character reveals her pregnancy to Varun Dhawan, which was shot at Cafe Columbia. The couple’s residence is depicted as being located on Prabhat Road.<ref>"Did you know? These Famous Films Were Shot in Pune – Find out here". The Bridge Chronicle. 5 June 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2025.</ref>

Several jail scenes in the film were shot on location at Nashik Jail, where the cast and crew spent two days filming inside the institution alongside real inmates. Scenes were filmed in the jail kitchen, carpentry workshop, and laundry, drawing on the inmates’ knowledge of the facility to lend realism to the production.<ref>Pathak, Ankur (24 July 2014). "Varun Dhawan shoots in Nashik jail". The Times of India. Retrieved 22 July 2025.</ref>

Reception

Critical reception

On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 92%, based on 8 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10.<ref name="RT">"Badlapur (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 5 December 2017. Retrieved 30 December 2017.</ref>

Raja Sen from Rediff.com rated it 4 out of 5 and said "Badlapur is a dark, unflinching, fantastic film."<ref>"Review: Badlapur is a dark, unflinching, fantastic film". Rediff.com. 20 February 2015. Archived from the original on 26 February 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.</ref> Sudhish Kamath from The Hindu wrote that the film was "darkly ambitious and very well made."<ref>Kamath, Sudhish (20 February 2015). "Badlapur: Darkly ambitious, and very well made". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2015.</ref> Rachit Gupta from Filmfare stated that it had "exhilarating performances, stellar storytelling."<ref>"Movie Review: Badlapur". Filmfare. Archived from the original on 8 March 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.</ref>

Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV rated it 3/5 and noted the pervasive contemptful treatment of women in the film, writing, "If one can ignore the overt misogyny on show all through the film, Badlapur throws up enough surprises to hold the viewer's interest right until the bitter end."<ref>"Badlapur Movie Review". NDTV. Archived from the original on 8 March 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.</ref>

Mohar Basu of The Times of India rated Badlapur 4 out of 5.<ref>"Badlapur Movie Review". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 7 March 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.</ref> Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express rated the movie 2.5 stars out of 5, describing it as riveting, but also noting that the film "comes off too contrived in many places, and leaves us hanging in others."<ref>"Badlapur movie review – The Indian Express". The Indian Express. 20 February 2015. Archived from the original on 20 October 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.</ref> Rajeev Masand and Md Abidur Rahaman of CNN-IBN rated it 3.5 out of 5 and wrote: "The pace slackens post-intermission, plot contrivances are many, and you might say the film is misogynistic in its treatment of women ... [However], the film keeps you on your toes, curious to see where its twists and turns will lead."<ref>"News18.com: CNN-News18 Breaking News India, Jharkhand Election Live Results, Latest News Headlines, Live News Updates". News18. Archived from the original on 21 February 2015.</ref>

Box office

Box Office India reported that Badlapur grossed approximately ₹103.3 crore (US$14 million) worldwide.<ref name="gross">"Top Worldwide Grossers 2015". Box Office India. 12 March 2015. Archived from the original on 14 March 2015.</ref>

Soundtrack

Badlapur
Soundtrack album by Sachin–Jigar
Released	23 January 2015 (2015-01-23)
Genre	Feature film soundtrack
Length	27:55
Language	Hindi
Label	Eros Music
Sachin–Jigar chronology
Ungli (2014) Badlapur (2015) ABCD 2 (2015)

The soundtrack and background score of Badlapur is composed entirely by Sachin–Jigar, while the lyrics were written by Dinesh Vijan and Priya Saraiya; it marks the first Sriram Raghavan film since Ek Hasina Thi (2004) to feature the same composers on both aspects of the music. The first song, "Jee Karda", was released as a single on 9 December 2014. The song "Jeena Jeena" was released on 14 February 2015. Jeena Jeena reached number one on the Indian iTunes charts,<ref>"iTunes". Apple (India). Archived from the original on 21 February 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2015.</ref> Radio Mirchi charts,<ref>"Latest Bollywood songs on Mirchi Top20 countdown". www.radiomirchi.com. Archived from the original on 25 April 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.</ref> for several weeks.

All lyrics are written by Priya Saraiya & Dinesh Vijan; all music is composed by Sachin–Jigar.

Track listing

No.	Title	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"Jee Karda"	Divya Kumar	4:01
2.	"Jeena Jeena"	Atif Aslam	3:49
3.	"Jee Karda" (Rock Version)	Divya Kumar	4:00
4.	"Judaai"	Rekha Bhardwaj, Arijit Singh	4:32
5.	"Jeena Jeena" (Remix)	Atif Aslam	3:39
6.	"Badla Badla"	Vishal Dadlani, Jasleen Royal, Suraj Jagan	3:13
7.	"Sone Ka Paani"	Priya Saraiya	1:52
8.	"Badlapur Mashup"	Various Artists	2:49
Total length:			27:55

Awards and nominations

Award	Category	Recipients and nominees	Result	Ref.
8th Mirchi Music Awards	Album of The Year	Sachin–Jigar, Dinesh Vijan, Priya Saraiya	Nominated	<ref>"MMA Mirchi Music Awards". MMAMirchiMusicAwards. Archived from the original on 30 March 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2018.</ref>
	Best Song Producer (Programming & Arranging)	Sachin–Jigar – "Jee Karda"
61st Filmfare Awards	Best Film	Dinesh Vijan, Sunil Lulla	Nominated	<ref>"Nominations for the 61st Britannia Filmfare Awards". filmfare.com. 11 January 2016. Archived from the original on 13 April 2016. Retrieved 22 April 2018.</ref>
	Best Director	Sriram Raghavan
	Best Actor	Varun Dhawan
	Best Supporting Actor	Nawazuddin Siddiqui
	Best Supporting Actress	Huma Qureshi
	Best Singer – Male	Atif Aslam for "Jeena Jeena"

Further reading

• Nair, Gayatri; Tamang, Dipti (2016). "Representations of rape in popular culture: Gone Girl and Badlapur". International Feminist Journal of Politics. 18 (4): 614–618. doi:10.1080/14616742.2016.1226401. S2CID 151645485.

External links

• Badlapur on IMDb
• Badlapur at Box Office Mojo
• Badlapur at Bollywood Hungama