While I’m not really a big fan of mob films, I couldn’t pass up a movie with Randeep Hooda in it since he is one of the most bankable actors in Bollywood right now. So, I decided to check out one of his overlooked earlier works, a crime thriller and mob film based on true events called “D.”
Another reason that made me check out “D” was a compelling scene that sent chills down my spine when I first saw it, and which immediately had me hooked on this crime thriller by Ram Gopal Varma, an Indian filmmaker much revered for his penchant for bringing the tales of the Mumbai underworld to the big screen (the directorial reigns of “D”—the third and last of the ‘Gangster Trilogy’—are handed over to debutant director Vishram Sawant, who does a good job with the material). This scene involves our protagonist Deshu (played by Randeep Hooda) traveling by the local train one night, when out of the blue, he witnesses a man being pushed out of the moving train by an unknown person and onto the tracks (possibly to his death). This incident—which happens unexpectedly and in a split second—is an innocent Deshu’s first tryst with what horrors the dreaded mafia in Mumbai is capable of, and is just one of the in-your-face, horrifying scenes which add shock value to the proceedings.
The story of “D” follows Deshu, who has come to India from overseas to attend his mother’s funeral. Estranged from his father who is a policeman, and finding nobody to turn to after he witnesses a gang murdering one of his neighbors, Deshu accidentally finds himself embroiled in the toxic underworld himself.
What I felt worked best in this movie’s favour is Srikanth Naroj’s cinematography—especially the Dutch angles and intense close-up shots—which are utilised very well, especially the scenes that are meant to shock viewers and lend tension and the right gritty and chilling atmosphere to the film.
Something else that “D” benefits from is a compelling performance by Randeep Hooda as Deshu. Even though the actor was still a newcomer back in the early 2000s, he carries this movie on his shoulders, effortlessly portraying a range of emotions from a stoic and simple young man to a powerful and brutish gangster.
While “D” may have slipped under audience’s radars when it first released because it lacked star power like Ram Gopal Varma’s previous offerings such as “Satya” and “Company,” it is still worth a watch as it stands on its own as an independent film about the workings of the mob and how innocent lives are ruined by it. It also doesn’t cover up the truth about the dreaded Mumbai underworld, but exposes it in all its bone-chilling, blood-curdling, and shocking glory. A good overall film and definitely one not to watch when the kids are around.
