The Upcoming
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Cinema & Tv
      • Movie reviews
      • Film festivals
      • Shows
    • Food & Drinks
      • News & Features
      • Restaurant & bar reviews
      • Interviews & Recipes
    • Literature
    • Music
      • Live music
    • Theatre
  • Fashion & Lifestyle
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
  • What’s On
    • Art exhibitions
    • Theatre shows
  • Tickets
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Interviews
  • Competitions
  • Special events
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

London Film Festival 2012

London Film Festival 2012 – day two: Chakravyuh

London Film Festival 2012 – day two: Chakravyuh
14 October 2012
Joey Godman
Avatar
Joey Godman
14 October 2012

Monday 15th October, 12pm – BFI Southbank

Chakravyuh is Bollywood thriller directed by Prakash Jha that deals with the real life Naxalites, a movement of maoist communists fighting for the rights of the poor tribes. The plot follows high-ranking police officer Adil and his best friend Kabir, as they try to take down the Naxalites. As Kabir goes undercover he grows enamoured with the Naxal philosophy and falls in love with a senior member of the group. The two best friends then clash over what is best for their nation.

Chakravyuh manages to cram a huge amount of plot into its 152 minute run-time. The two and a half hour run allows Jha to tell the complete version of his long and winding story. At no point does the story lull or drag, it manages to be engaging the whole way through. The most interesting aspect of the story is the moral ambiguity of who to root for. The Naxalites are first portrayed to be ruthless and the police fighting for justice. However as the film progresses the audience’s allegiances are tested by corrupt, abusive police and the seemingly noble cause of the maoists. Throughout the film, neither side is shown to be totally morally just, and this is what pushes Chakravyuh ahead of most generic action films.

Some of the film-making is a little shoddy in parts. The use of guns is somewhat ludicrous in that main characters seem to be able to evade bullets to a preternatural degree. One scene sees Adil doing doughnuts in his cop car blindly firing out of his window as a small army of Naxalites fires at him. The effect is just very silly and seriously damages the believability of the film.

The musical numbers in the film do not to impinge on the plot and are mostly justifiable within the context of the narrative. The songs are quite enjoyable and the choreography works brilliant especially at the Naxalite camp.

Chakravyuh is a solid thriller that is helped by a engaging and multi-layered narrative. While Jha is not treading any new ground here, what he does, he does well.

Verdict: •••

Joey Godman

Read more reviews from the 56th London Film Festival here.

Watch the trailer for Chakravyuh here:

Related Items

More in London Film Festival 2012

London Film Festival 2012 – day twelve: Great Expectations

Joey Godman
Read More

London Film Festival 2012: Song for Marion

Richard Taverner
Read More

London Film Festival 2012 – day ten: The Pervert’s Guide To Ideology

Joey Godman
Read More

London Film Festival 2012 – day ten: Sightseers

Joey Godman
Read More

London Film Festival 2012 – day eleven: Seven Psychopaths

Richard Taverner
Read More

London Film Festival 2012 – day nine: E Stato Il Figlio

Richard Taverner
Read More

London Film Festival 2012 – day nine: Simon Killer

Eleanor MacFarlane
Read More

London Film Festival 2012 – day nine: Starlet

Eleanor MacFarlane
Read More

London Film Festival 2012 – day eight: The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Joey Godman
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap
  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • London’s Michelin-starred restaurants open al fresco right now – and all those re-opening in May
    Food & Drinks
  • Cruise – Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Birdy at Wilton’s Music Hall Online
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Weezer with the LA Philharmonic and YOLA at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Online
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • A Splinter of Ice at Cheltenham Everyman Theatre Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Chiswick Playhouse Recharged: An interview with producer Wayne Glover-Stuart
    Theatre
  • Anthropocene: The Human Era at Oxford Playhouse Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • The Race to Save the World
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • The Motherhood Project: An interview with creator and curator Katherine Kotz
    Theatre
  • The Mitchells vs the Machines
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • 50 Next unveils the new generation of food industry pioneers
    Food & Drinks
  • Arlo the Alligator Boy
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • London’s Michelin-starred restaurants open al fresco right now – and all those re-opening in May
    Food & Drinks
  • Campfire in Kings Cross: Two Tribes deliver everything you’ve been missing with a night of beer, BBQ and live music
    Food & Drinks
  • Live from the Barbican: Moses Boyd
    ★★★★★
    Live music
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

London Film Festival 2012 – day two: The Road
London Film Festival 2012 – day three: Beyond the Hills