There exist two types of India’s at present. One is the young emerging India, comprising of youth with progressive and modern mindset. They live in the metros, work in high profile corporate offices and often are a part of double income families. The other India boasts of people with primitive approach to life. They have been following certain rules since hundreds of years that need to be strictly adhered to at all times. Anyone trying to break these norms is punished, sometimes fatally. Law and order cease to exist at times at such places. These two India’s are world apart in terms of thinking but they belong to the same country. And moreover, with the expansion of cities and satellite areas, these two worlds often collide, resulting in disastrous consequences at times. NH10 tells one such tale and it does a bloody good job at it!

The story of the movie: Meera (Anushka Sharma) is happily married to Arjun (Neil Bhoopalam). They live in Gurgaon and to celebrate Meera’s birthday, they decide to go out of city. The destination is Basantpur and the route taken is National Highway 10, aka, NH10. Unfortunately, they come across two helpless people and a bunch of goons who are trying to harm the former. Meera and Arjun get sucked into the whole confrontation and soon they realize that it’s too late to turn back.

NH10’s biggest strength is its script and direction. It’s just 115 minutes long and one can’t help but sit in rapt attention and wonder what’ll happen next. This happens even at places where the film slows down and drags a bit. The opening title sequence is impressive and neatly depicts the ‘badhta bachcha’ – Gurgaon. The thrill begins in the first 10 minutes itself and it’s definitely quite scary. Of course, the film gets on a high the moment the couple begin their journey on NH10. There are moments initially in the journey where they are enjoying and making some cute talk. It’s quite endearing but soon enough one realizes there is danger lurking just around the corner. And it soon happens when Meera-Arjun bump into the ‘villains’. A section of audience might debate that Meera-Anushka shouldn’t have stepped into the danger and that they had the chance to not get involved in the first place. But thankfully, the whole thing is convincingly done and looks justified.



The fight and escape portions are captivating although it gets repetitive after a point. Also, it was convenient the way Meera managed to escape from the villains so many times. However, the last 20 minutes is when the film gets back firmly on track again. The twist in the tale is quite surprising and the manner in which Meera hits back is seen to be believed. It’s too good! Again, the final scene raises some questions and appears convenient. But it’s nicely presented and hence no complaints as such.

Anushka Sharma delivers a powerpacked performance. It is a challenging part and she comes out with flying colours. Her heroic antics in the finale deserve to be greeted with whistles and claps! At the same time, she deserves kudos for turning producer so early in her career and backing such an unconventional effort like NH10. Neil Bhoopalam delivers the best performance of his career and proves that given a chance, he can be the main lead of sorts and do a very good job. Darshan Kumaar (Satbir) makes one forget his last performance – that of an adorable hubby in Mary Kom – and plays the villain brilliantly. He doesn’t get much to speak but his eyes do the talking and it ends up saying a lot. Ravi Beniwal (Chhote) leaves a huge mark in a small role. Same goes for Deepti Naval who is just terrific to say the least. Tanya Purohit (the woman in the sarpanch’s house) is quite good. The actors who play the police officers - Siddharth Bharadwaj and Sushil Tyagi – deliver a fine performance, especially Sushil. Lastly, the actors who play Satbir’s associates - Ravi Jhankal (Fauji), Jaswant Singh (Omi), Yogendra Singh (Ashok), Ashish Sharma (Ramavtar) – are quite good.



Music is neatly incorporated in the film and rightfully relegated to the background. The much-promoted Chhil Gaye Naina is missing from the film. The 2 songs that make the most impact are Le Chal Mujhe and Maati Ka Palang as they are placed at important junctures in the film. Karan Gour’s background score is subtle but impactful. Arvind Kannabrian’s cinematography is raw and works for this kind of a film. Subash Sahoo’s sound design takes the realism in the film many notches higher. Watch out for the scene where Meera is on the deserted highway at Gurgaon at night. One can feel the eerie silence and the same kind of an experience that one goes through while driving at night on a desolate street. However, the sound mixing is flawed at places – one is not able to hear the dialogues at times as the background noise is too loud. Action is a bit gory but it is done as per the film’s demand. Sudip Sharma’s story is fantastic and inspired from some real life happenings of Haryana. His screenplay is gripping and he ensures that the realism in the film remains intact. Also, the manner in which he has depicted the attitude of policemen towards the episodes in the film is true to the core and would definitely strike a chord. Navdeep Singh’s direction gives a nice thrilling touch to the film. He keeps viewers glued on to their seats. But there are portions where the film becomes a bit convenient. Also, as said before, it might seem unconvincing the manner in which Meera-Arjun get involved in the whole madness. Lastly, the second half might seem predictable especially those who understand how things work in Haryana. Nevertheless, a great effort and hope Navdeep comes back with a film soon!

Some of the best scenes:
1. The opening credits
2. Meera on the roads of Gurgaon at night
3. Meera at the Gurgaon police station
4. Meera-Arjun begin their journey
5. Meera-Arjun at the dhaba
6. Meera-Arjun are caught by Satbir and his men
7. Meera-Arjun get separated
8. The intermission point
9. Meera goes to the police station
10. Meera climbs the hill
11. The last 20 minutes

On the whole, NH10 is a great thriller and keeps viewers on the edge of their seats constantly. Anushka Sharma is terrific and goes on a high in the finale while Neil Bhoopalam too leaves a huge mark. It has some minor flaws but yet, makes an impact for sure. Go for this ride!

My rating - *** ½ out of 5!