The movie “Bastar: The Naxal Story” talks about a real-life problem in Chhattisgarh called the Naxal issue. It’s based on true events and focuses on a brave police officer who did a lot to fight against the Naxalites.
In the movie, the director Sudipto Sen and producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah try to tell us about another big problem after their previous success with “The Kerala Story.” This time, they look at the Naxal rebellion in Chhattisgarh. While the movie keeps you interested most of the time, it could have been better if it showed more about the political side of things. The movie takes inspiration from real events and people but adds some made-up stuff to make the story more interesting. Even though the story isn’t super strong, the director still manages to make it engaging. But, I must warn you, there are some tough scenes to watch.
The main character is Neerja Madhavan, played by Adah Sharma, who is a tough police officer trying to stop the Naxalites. The story starts in a courtroom where the government and the Naxalites are fighting legally. Neerja uses Special Police Officers (SPOs) and a group called Salwa Judum to fight against the Naxals. Alongside this, there’s also Ratna’s story, played by Indira Tiwari, a tribal woman whose husband was killed by a Naxalite named Lanka Reddy. Ratna wants revenge, so she becomes a Special Police Officer to help Neerja.
The movie has characters inspired by real people, although their names are changed, which might make you think about who they are if you know about the real events. The movie feels real because it’s shot in fitting locations. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, especially when the rich and powerful support the Naxalites. But, the movie forgets to show us Delhi and Raipur, which are important control hubs in the story. It’s crucial to see what happens behind the scenes, but the movie only touches on this briefly. Also, the loud music in the background can be distracting, even though the movie looks good.
In a nutshell, “Bastar: The Naxal Story” tries to tell us about a big problem in Chhattisgarh through an engaging story. While it could have been better if it showed more about the politics and toned down the music, it still keeps you interested with its gritty atmosphere and real-life-inspired characters.
