Bandar review: Anurag Kashyap’s crime drama is at its best when it watches Bobby Deol’s Samar lose power, dignity and control inside a system that has already decided how to treat him. It is not a smooth film, and it is not always as morally sharp as it wants to be, but Bobby Deol makes the messy ride worth taking.
Quick verdict: Watch Bandar for Bobby Deol’s raw, vanity-free performance and Kashyap’s grim prison-world texture. Go in ready for an uncomfortable, uneven drama rather than a clean thriller. If you are planning the same cinema week, check our June 5 to June 11 theatrical releases roundup for more big-screen options.
Bandar review: what works?
The strongest part of Bandar is Bobby Deol’s surrender to the role. Samar Mehra is not written as a neat victim, a noble fighter or a star waiting for applause. He is a fading performer with old habits, private loneliness and a fragile ego. When an accusation pushes him into police rooms, court corridors and jail spaces, the performance slowly strips away the swagger.
That is where the film becomes interesting. Deol plays fear and shame without turning every scene into a loud breakdown. His eyes do a lot of the work. He looks confused, angry, tired and insulted, sometimes all in the same stretch. For viewers who still think of him through old star-image memories, Bandar is a useful reminder that he can be very effective when a director asks him to look small instead of heroic.
Kashyap also knows how to build an ugly world. The prison scenes feel cramped, sweaty and transactional. Nothing is clean, nobody is fully safe, and even small comforts feel priced. The film uses the “cage” idea well: Samar enters as a known face, but inside the system he becomes another body waiting for someone else to decide his future.
Where Bandar becomes uneven
The issue is not that Bandar is uncomfortable. A film on accusation, public judgment and undertrial prison life should be uncomfortable. The issue is that its point of view sometimes becomes narrower than its subject. The story wants to examine a difficult accusation and the damage caused by instant public judgment, but it spends far more emotional energy on Samar’s suffering than on the woman whose complaint begins the collapse.
That imbalance matters because the subject is sensitive. The film is strongest when it talks about legal delay, custodial humiliation and the way a person can be punished before a verdict. It is weaker when it seems too eager to simplify the gender politics around the case. The writing asks hard questions, then occasionally settles for easier answers.
The second half also loses some grip. The jail portions have strong individual moments, but the rhythm can feel repetitive. Kashyap keeps returning to the same emotional state: Samar is trapped, the system is cruel, the process is punishment. That idea is powerful, but the film does not always find a new dramatic turn for it.
Performances and cast
Bobby Deol carries the film. Saba Azad brings warmth and uncertainty as Khushi, while Sanya Malhotra gives the family side of Samar’s crisis some needed urgency. Sapna Pabbi has the difficult job of playing Gayatri in a story that does not always give her side enough room. The supporting actors help the prison world feel lived-in rather than decorative.
If you want the actor-character breakdown before or after watching, read our Bandar cast guide. For the release-date and trailer basics, our Bandar release date update has the quick facts.
Is Bandar worth watching?
Yes, but with the right expectation. Bandar is not a crowd-pleasing crime thriller. It is a grim, adult drama about a man swallowed by police procedure, public judgment and jail hierarchy. It has rough edges, and its moral lens is not always as balanced as the material demands. Still, Bobby Deol’s performance and Kashyap’s prison-world detailing give it enough force to recommend for serious Hindi cinema viewers.
Bingebaaz rating: 3/5
Final verdict: Bandar is flawed but gripping in stretches. Watch it for Bobby Deol’s performance, the harsh prison atmosphere and the questions it raises, even if the film does not always answer those questions with enough depth.
FAQ
What is Bandar about?
Bandar follows Samar Mehra, a fading performer whose life collapses after he is accused of rape and pulled into a harsh legal and prison system.
Is Bandar worth watching?
Bandar is worth watching if you like serious, uncomfortable Hindi dramas. It is uneven, but Bobby Deol’s performance makes it compelling.
What is the Bingebaaz rating for Bandar?
Bingebaaz rates Bandar 3 out of 5.
Who directed Bandar?
Bandar is directed by Anurag Kashyap.
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