Despatch Movie Review

Dispatch Reviews {2.5/5} and Rating 

Starring: Manoj Bajpayee, Shahana Goswami, Archita Agarwal 

 

Director: Kanu Behl 

Dispatch Movie Review – Synopsis: 

DESPATCH is the story of a courageous journalist. The year is 2012. Joy Bagh (Manoj Bajpayee) is a crime journalist working for a newspaper called Despatch. He is about to get married to Shweta Bagh (Shahana Goswami) and is having an affair with Prerna Prakash (Arkita Agarwal), a young reporter for Despatch. With the newspaper business declining due to the rise of digital websites, he is under pressure to deliver breaking news. He accidentally finds a clue to the murder of notorious gangster Shetty. He even learns that the police are ready to catch the killer at the shipyard. Joy even gets a chance to convince a police officer to join them and investigate the killer named Pappu Sangli (Nitin Goel). Pappu eventually reveals that he stole the files from the Delhi Vigilance Bureau on behalf of an East German construction worker. Joy starts researching the story and soon realises that a 2G scam worth crores of rupees is happening and nobody knows anything about it. If he cracks the case he will go down in history but the challenge remains. What happens next forms the rest of the film. 

 Despatch Movie Stories Review: 

Ishani Banerjee and Kanu Behl's story is loosely inspired by the J. Dey murder case and is meticulously researched. The screenplay by Ishani Banerjee and Kanu Behl has some good bits but is too chaotic. Ishani Banerjee and Kanu Behl's dialogue is life-like and even sharp. 

Kanu Behl's direction is average. The good thing is that he portrays the characters very realistically. We often see period dramas set in pre-2000. Kanu shows the world of 2012, when the internet existed but it was still a new world for many. Kanu is known for directing confrontation scenes brilliantly and continues his good work in DESPATCH. Standout scenes include Joy's confrontation with a customer, Joy nearly being killed by Pappu, Prerna and Joy looking at the apartment and its aftermath, and Joy meeting the builder and asking for the apartment. The data centre is hilarious yet deeply unsettling. The scenes in Joy and Shweta's bedroom and later in the hotel in Delhi are quite shocking. 

But the film gets too complicated and loses tension quickly. Though the film is 155 minutes long, it feels like watching a saga of over three and a half hours. The finale left the audience with mixed reactions. At the end, the director leaves some questions unanswered, which is sure to disappoint the audience. 

 Movie Review Dispatch: 

Manoj Bajpayee makes this film worth watching and strives to stand out from the screenplay. He is too good from start to finish, but in the climax, you need to watch out for him. He is a very special person. Shahana Goswami has limited screen time but rocks the show as expected. It's not an easy role to play but she handles it effortlessly. Archita Agarwal makes a confident debut. Lee Sen (Nori) has too much screen presence. Mamik Singh (Silva), Hansa Singh (Nisha Lodha) and Kabir Sadanand (Wadhwa) are adorable in their respective cameos. Salim Siddiqui (Ameer Bhai) and Dilip Shankar (Rajdas, lawyer) make a strong impression even though they only have one scene. Veena Mehta (Joy's mother) and Liju Bajaj (Joy's boss, Tarun Khaitan) provide competent support. Parvati Sehgal (Varsha Rajput) is introduced in a way that is expected to play a key role. But it's in vain. Nitin Goel, Anand Arkunte (Inspector Bhosle), Arun Behl (Contractor Suresh), Rajneesh Kural (Chintu Singh), Amit Srikant Singh (Soft Layer Manager) and Nikhil Vijay (Informant at the bar) also do very good jobs. Film Music and other technical aspects of Despatch: 

DESPATCH is a song-less film. Sneha Khanwalkar's background music is top-notch. Siddharth Diwan's cinematography is vivid and adds to the realism. Fabeha Sultana Khan's costumes are lifelike. Shruti Gupte's production design is authentic. Vikram Dahiya's action is as realistic as it can be. Manas Mittal and Samarth Dixit's editing could have been easier. 

Dispatch movie review conclusion: 

Overall, DESPATCH relies on some good performances and well-executed showdown sequences. But the impact is diluted by the convoluted story and length.