David Farnor | On 07, Sep 2024

Directed: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat
Cast: Lakshya, Raghav Juyal, Ashish Vidyarthi, Harsh Chhaya, Tanya Maniktala, Abhishek Chauhan
Certificate: 18

When you hear a film is based on a true story, Kill isn’t what you expect. The 115-minute thriller begins with an engagement, but ends in a bloodbath – with a train ride ferrying us from one to the other without braking.

The engagement is that of Tulika (Tanya Maniktala) – but, unfortunately, her heart belongs to another man: Amrit (Lakshya), an army commando who will do anything to be with her. It turns out, though, that anything will be tested to the extreme, as the sleeper train that the duo are on is besieged by a group of bandits with their own agenda: rob the riches of business bigwig Baldeo Singh Thakur.

What ensues is a heist that starts messy and escalates from there. Led by the cunning Fani (Raghav Juyal), the thieves pivot from kidnapping to petty robbery to hostage-taking – and they deal brutal blows every step of the way. Amrit’s motives are purer, in a sense, as he battles to keep Tulika safe, but the lean script smartly keeps count of every body that’s dispatched, and the toll each one takes. As the body count increases, both sides of the conflict begin to retaliate to the losses – and so a clash of idealistic quests boils down to a cruel cycle of revenge, guilt and hate.

The cast are brilliantly played by a scarily game ensemble of actors and fighters. Lakshya is a charismatic heartthrob, balancing a smouldering, dogged determination with an emotional earnestness that shines through. Raghav Juyal, meanwhile, has just enough spite to make him a worthy villain, but also carries enough vulnerability to make us feel the grief of the bad guys mourning their comrades – many of whom are family. The result is a shallow affair but with the right amount grit to mean the meaningless violence carries weight.

Director Nikhil Nagesh Bhat choreographs all this with inventive, visceral skill. Making the most of the claustrophobic location, he shoots the close-up combat with wide lens cameras, while the compartment walls cleverly expand and contract to allow for the carnage to up the intensity. Blending scrappy street moves with military martial arts, the actual fighting is consistently varied, with fists and blades of all sizes used in place of guns. By the time the train ride is over, you’ll be catching your breath – and wondering just what happened on that real-life train ride inspire this.

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