India Lockdown, which was released today on Zee5, tells the story of half a dozen characters and how their life takes a turn due to the Covid-19 lockdown. Some of the moments in the film are very real and will remind viewers of the hard time they faced during the pandemic. Directed by Madhur Bhandarkar, the film is just 112 minutes long and moves at a fine pace. The film is also well-edited and the narrative jumps from one track to another seamlessly. The nail-biting moments in the climax are worth watching. Sadly, the writing is weak. The backstory is not established for certain characters and hence, the desired impact is not created. The track of the sex worker is unconvincing and it seemed like she and her colleagues were relaxing in the lockdown when their work suffered the maximum in times of social distancing. However, Shweta Basu Prasad, who plays the sex worker, is the best performer in the film. She rocked the show in The Tashkent Files as well and she deserves to be seen in many more films in plum roles. Prakash Belawadi is apt for the part and is impressive. Prateik Babbar and Sai Tamhankar every inch look like migrants on the way to their hometown on foot. Satvik Bhatia (Dev) has a fine screen presence but his dialogue delivery looks rehearsed. Zarin Shihab (Palak) is quite good while Aahana Kumra puts up a nice, confident act. Saanand Verma (Tipu), Chahat Tewani (Titli) and others are fine. All in all, India Lockdown is a fine attempt and worth watching once.
My rating – *** out of 5!