The film focuses on Veda, a young girl who has endured first-hand the horrors of honor killings, including the brutal murder of her brother by the village head, Jitendra Pratap Singh (Abhishek Banerjee). Singh’s cruelty extends to murdering a girl from her family for eloping with a lower caste boy. Despite his aspirations to become a boxer, Veda faces disappointment from his community. Recognizing her potential, Abhimanyu takes it upon himself to train her, which does not go down well with the local male boxers. The director could have continued the story, which would have seen Veda become a national level boxer, but he ignored the Million Dollar Baby route and focused on making a solid action film, complete with flying bullets, flying cars and a girl in trouble. Was saved by the girl. white Knight.
While John Abraham’s physical presence adds authenticity to his role, his portrayal of Abhimanyu feels incomplete. His entry into the story is slow, he is mourning the death of his wife (played by Tamannaah Bhatia) and seeking vengeance. Although Abhimanyu’s support helps Veda gain confidence, the film’s climax betrays its fundamental themes. The courtroom setting becomes the battlefield where justice is sought, but Abhimanyu’s intervention – using the gavel as a weapon – turns the metaphor into the literal, and the narrative tension is released. This resolution is particularly absurd. After all of Veda’s struggles and quest for justice, it is an upper caste man who ultimately handles the climactic confrontation, which includes killing the main villain inside the court. This not only cuts Veda’s journey short but also renders the entire struggle for justice meaningless.
Abhishek Banerjee’s portrayal of the antagonist Pradhan is a charm, capturing the essence of passive aggression and maintaining a menacing presence. Ashish Vidyarthi gives a solid performance as the patriarch, who adds depth to the film’s central conflict. Sharvari Wagh transforms from an innocent school girl to a war-scarred woman who eventually musters the courage to stand up for herself. His expressions, especially in the parts where his caste identity weakens him, are spot on. John Abraham plays the role of a strong, silent thoughtful warrior with complete ease. He is playing to his strengths and this role suits him.
In the end, while Veda displays commendable effort and intention, it falters by pushing its central message to the periphery. We feel that the film could have shown Veda taking the wrongdoers to court and thus paving the way for others, but the bloody climax dilutes the impact. The film works great as a hardcore action film but its social message gets buried amidst the noise. That said, filmmaker Nikhil Advani has bravely shown how Dalits are treated in our society, especially in rural areas, even after 78 years of India’s independence, and he deserves to be congratulated for that.