Bypass Road: Neil Nitin Mukesh Makes A Comeback

Starring Neil Nitin Mukesh, Adah Sharma, Rajit Kapur, Gul Panag, Sudhanshu Pande

Directed by  Naman Nitin Mukesh

Rating: *** ½ (3 and a half  stars)

A suspense  thriller set  in the  precincts  of a rich and privileged  family, is  not an easy feat to pull  off  for a first-time  director. Naman Nitish Mukesh, directing his brother Neil in what  is  arguably his most complex screen  avatar since  Johnny Gaddar,  succeeds  in creating  a murder mystery about the  comeuppance  of the  rich, that serves up ample proportions of glamour sex  suspense and sordidness.

 In  the tradition  of  the  best suspense cinema  the  narrative moves at a  swelling  pace  of  breathless  upheavals,and it  leaves you guessing till the closing titles.Shot in striking grey-and-white  exteriors  that  play up the  blood-red  murkiness beneath, this thriller thrills at all the right places by creating a  multiplicity of sexual  conflicts that carry  the  film forward lurching to  a  gripping finale when the wheelchair-bound  protagonist is hunted down by a masked  killer.

Perhaps the  plot strains  a little too hard  to stay ahead  of audiences’ expectations.And the actors are  not uniformly  competent. It is sad to see performers  of substance like  Rajit Kapoor  , Gul Panag and  Manish Choudhary straining to make themselves  heard  . Luckily for them  the  background score is not too loud. Unlike  other  suspense thrillers  in  Hindi, the sounds and  music(by Daniel B George) played in the background  do not  impinge on  the  narrative.

There  is  a welcome restrain  in  the  verbal and  visual  exchanges . The  suspense is well maintained  in scenes such as the  one  the  family  caregiver  harnesses  the disabled hero for a  bath.One wishes  there  were more  such moments  to keep the body and soul  of the narrative in sync.

Nonetheless the screenplay(written by  the  film’s  leading man) constantly  springs surprises. Bypass Road  is  an original tale of  unlimited affluence and  unchecked greed.As   a vehicle  for Neil  Nitin  Mukesh’s  comeback to form it works effectively.  It makes  you wonder why this  talented  actor   has been languishing.