Rating – **** (4/5)
Sector 36: streaming on Netflix India
Cast: Vikrant Massey, Deepak Dobriyal, Darshan Jariwala and more
Produced by: Maddock Films & Jio Studios
Directed by: Aditya Nimbalkar
“Jab mere aas paas vaale muje bolne lage ki aisi filmein mat karo ek commercially successful actor banne ke baad, tab toh maine soch liya ki main aur aisi filmein karunga” – Vikrant Massey said this in a media meet and greet – and all I would like to tell him is – never change Vikrant, never change!
It might seem like a regularity but for Massey to be playing an atrocious serial killer with a charm after being an underdog in 12th Fail is exactly the kind of ‘career suicide’ that people use if it flops – but the man doesn’t care much about it and chooses to focus on a subject that hit him in the gut, forced him to be something he absolutely isn’t (no human should be) and deliver a performance that is perhaps one of the best acts in recent times.
But to the film’s credit, Sector 36 is much more than Vikrant Massey and rightfully so. Set in the late 90s in Rajiv Camp, near Sector 36, the story is about the disappearance of an array of kids so much so that it has become a norm and the cops aren’t doing anything about it per se – till the one incident that affects the cop, Chaudhary (Deepak Dobriyal) personally, situation changes.
This isn’t a mystery thriller as you are told in the first five minutes as to who the killer is – Prem Singh (ironic, eh?) played by a masterful Vikrant Massey who casually abducts kids and chops their corpses remaining unperturbed – while he laughs and supposedly stays a fun-loving chap in his normal life, only his definition of fun is different from others. The tropes are immediately ridiculed in this gripping saga, as there is absolutely zero remorse from Prem’s side for his actions. Instead, he makes sure to groom his hair repeatedly while seated for interrogation and is only focused on catching an episode of Sab Banenge Crorepati (a TV show inspired by Kaun Banega Crorepati) because a contestant is about to win 1 crore rupees.
The unhinged behaviour and lack of self-awareness stems from a disturbed past that Prem went through – which, while understandable did feel like a tick box on the side of the writer, Bodhayan Roy Choudhury and debutant director, Aditya Nimbalkar rather than churning out the potential of a troubled backstory.
Nevertheless, the film isn’t devoid of the lack of impeccable detailing with spectacular cinematography and staging – meat being a running motif being butchered (animal or human), metaphors being played around with, Newton’s third law of motion being referenced, and the sound design of slimy screeches – all this is meant to make you incredibly uncomfortable and send a chill down your spine – which it successfully does.
Massey has the matter to play around with but actor Deepak Dobriyal, once again reminds us what the veteran is capable of. Perhaps he uses Newton’s third law the best – every action has an equal and opposite reaction – if he didn’t react well to Massey, the latter wouldn’t have come across as fabulous as he does.
It is mindful of the makers to not infuse gore and graphics just to sensationalise things or show slashed bodies, chopping corpses, child abuse or female abuse literally – instead the sound design, once again masterfully takes over and conveys the horror that is going on.
A subtle and gradually more prominent dig at the economic discrimination of rich vs poor is also a topic that probably becomes a central theme as the film reaches its climax.
Sector 36 pirouettes between being a gut-wrenching saga about an unfortunate series of events to being the case of a few despicable human beings being involved, who shouldn’t even call themselves humans – and that hits you harder. It ends with a cliffhanger that leaves the possibility for a sequel not just because there can be – but because there is no closure to these events even in the fictitious world, let alone the real world.
As one line in the film says, ‘cockroach kitni bhi body bana le, Jeet hamesha joote ki hi hoti hai’ – the state of our country in one line.
Sector 36 is now streaming on Netflix.