Vadh (2022 film)
| Vadh | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jaspal Singh Sandhu Rajiv Barnwal |
| Written by | Jaspal Singh Sandhu & Rajiv Barnwal |
| Produced by | Luv Ranjan Ankur Garg Neeraj Ruhil Nymphea Saraf Sandhu Subhav Sharma |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Sapan Narula |
| Edited by | Bharat S Rawat |
| Music by | Gurcharan Singh |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Yash Raj Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Box office | est.₹60 lakh (lifetime)[1] |
Vadh (transl. Execution) is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language crime drama[2] film written and directed by Jaspal Singh Sandhu, Rajiv Barnwal and produced by Luv Films.[3][4] Vadh was theatrically released on 9 December 2022.[5][6] It was featured at the 54th IFFI Indian panorama section.[7]
Plot
Shambhunath "Shambhu" Mishra (Sanjay Mishra), a retired teacher in Gwalior, lives with his wife Manju (Neena Gupta) in poverty. Their only son, Guddu, has settled in America and refuses to support them, despite their mortgaging the family house to fund his education abroad. Shambhu struggles to repay the loan taken from Prajapati Pandey (Saurabh Sachdeva), a gangster and loan shark who enjoys protection from corrupt police officer Shakti Singh (Manav Vij). Pandey frequently threatens the couple, and during one such visit he develops sinister intentions toward Naina, Shambhu’s young student. Unable to bear it, Shambhu kills him in a fit of rage.
Shambhu hides the murder, but suspicion soon falls on him when Pandey disappears. Shakti Singh, who also clashes with Pandey over bribes, begins investigating but finds no evidence. Meanwhile, MLA Rathore (Jaspal Singh Sandhu), for whom Pandey worked, pressures Shambhu to vacate his house. Shambhu and Manju seek help from their son, only to be rejected and insulted. Later, Shambhu discovers Pandey’s phone, which contains compromising videos that could ruin Shakti’s career, explaining why the officer desperately wants it back.
After being beaten by Rathore’s men, Shambhu is hospitalized. There he confesses the truth to Shakti and hands over Pandey’s phone, along with the hidden murder evidence. Sympathetic to Shambhu’s plight, Shakti covers up the crime by framing Rathore for Pandey’s murder. In the end, Shambhu and Manju move into a new house and decide to gift their old one to Naina.
Cast
- Sanjay Mishra as Shambhunath Mishra[5]
- Neena Gupta as Manju Mishra[8]
- Saurabh Sachdeva as Prajapati Pandey
- Manav Vij as Shakti Singh
- Nadeem Khan as Constable Sitaram Gadariya
- Jaspal Singh Sandhu as 'Dada' alias Rathore
- Sumit Gulati as Bittu
- Ananya Singh as Naina
- Umesh Kaushik as Navin
- Diwakar Kumar as Diwakar Mishra
- Pranjal Pateriya as Bakery owner
- Abhitosh Singh Rajput as Pawan
- Tanya Lal as Pandey's wife
Critical reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 50% of 6 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.5/10.[9]
Sonal Pandya reviewing for Hindustan Times praised the performances of Mishra and Gupta.[10] Pooja Biraia Jaiswal reviewing for The Week rated 4/5 and praised Mishra and Gupta.[11] Deepa Gahlot reviewing for Scroll.in praised the performances of Mishra, Gupta and Vij.[12]
Accolades
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Filmfare Awards | 17 April 2023 | Best Film (Critics) | Jaspal Singh Sandhu and Rajeev Barnwal | Nominated | [13][14] |
| Best Debut Director | Won | ||||
| Best Story | Nominated | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
| Best Actor (Critics) | Sanjay Mishra | Won | |||
| Best Actress (Critics) | Neena Gupta | Nominated |
Sequel
The sequel for the film, titled Vadh 2 completion was made by Luv Films on 16 April 2025.
References
- ^ "VADH BOX OFFICE Collection". Bollywood Hungama. 9 December 2022.
- ^ Pillania, Rajesh K.; Banerjee, Subhojit (30 November 2011), "Entertainment and Economic Contributions of the Indian Hindi Movie Industry", Handbook on the Economics of Leisure, Edward Elgar Publishing, ISBN 978-0-85793-056-9, retrieved 26 August 2025
- ^ "neena gupta sanjay mishra vadh trailer reminds you of shraddha murder case in delhi | 'Watching 'Vadh' trailer will remind you of Shraddha murder case, talk about Neena Gupta- Sanjay Mishra's acting | Loksatta". www.loksatta.com. 23 November 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ^ Tripathi, Ritu; Hindi, India TV (22 November 2022). "Vadh Trailer: संजय मिश्रा और नीना गुप्ता की फिल्म 'वध' के ट्रेलर ने दहलाया दिल, आफताब से भी खतरनाक तरीके से करते दिखे मर्डर". India TV Hindi (in Hindi). Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ^ a b "Vadh Movie Review: Sanjay Mishra shines in a passable thriller". India Today. 7 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ^ "Vadh Trailer: संजय मिश्रा और नीना गुप्ता की फिल्म का ट्रेलर देख दहल जाएगा दिल, संस्पेंस से है भरपूर | News in Hindi". zeenews.india.com. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ^ "Indian Panorama 2023 Announces Official Selection for 54th IFFI, 2023". Press Information Bureau. 23 October 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2023 – via press release.
- ^ "Neena Gupta reveals why she told a friend 'makaan baccho ke naam mat karna'". Hindustan Times. 13 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ^ "Vadh (2022) | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
- ^ "Vadh movie review: Sanjay Mishra and Neena Gupta in a patchy yet well-acted drama about justifying murder". Hindustan Times. 9 December 2022. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ "'Vadh' review: Sanjay Mishra and Neena Gupta's stellar performances power this thriller drama". The Week. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ Gahlot, Deepa (9 December 2022). "'Vadh' review: Actors show the way in dark crime drama". Scroll.in. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ "Filmfare Awards 2023: Sanjay Mishra-Neena Gupta's Film Vadh Wins 2 Big Honours". Zee News. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
- ^ "List of 2022 Films - Bollywood Movies Released in 2022 | Filmfare". filmfare.com. Retrieved 2 May 2023.