Vadh 2 review: Solid performances, familiar twists in this sequel starring Sanjay Mishra, Neena Gupta

Sanjay Mishra and Neena Gupta bring their A-game to their roles, and this lived-in quality makes Vadh 2 even more convincing, notes Mayur Sanap.                                                                                    In the first part of Vadh, there’s a scene where Sanjay Mishra’s Shambhunath is seen trying to catch a troublesome rat with a mouse trap. When his efforts fail, he switches to a kill trap, a decision that horrifies his wife Manju, played by Neena Gupta.

This small moment acts as a metaphor for the violence that later unfolds in their home.

The rat stands for the film’s sadistic antagonist and his eventual murder, which drives the morally complex drama surrounding the elderly couple.

Vadh 2 has a similar mood and setting, telling another murder story, but it isn’t a direct sequel. Mishra and Gupta return as Shambhunath and Manju, playing new characters with the same names; the rat from the first film also finds a playful reference here.

What Vadh 2 is about

Vadh 2 opens with a flashback. A young Manju is convicted and sent to prison for murdering a young couple. The drama shifts to the Shivpuri thana in Madhya Pradesh, where an older Manju (Neena Gupta) is nearing the end of her 28-year sentence.

Having spent most of her life within the cramped walls of a prison, Manju wonders how she will adjust to the outside world.’Ab toh aadat si ho gayi hain yahan,’ she says.

Manju shares her fears with warden Shambhunath (Sanjay Mishra), who has a soft corner for her. He remains hopeful that she will find a better life once she is released.

A young inmate, Naina (Yogita Bihani), lands in prison on money-laundering charges framed by her superiors. Manju learns Naina’s story, and sees parts of her own past in it.

On the day of Naina’s court hearing, she draws the attention of a local gangster, Keshav (Akkshay Dogra, playing the role with perfect menace), who has lustful eyes on her. Keshav delays Naina’s hearing using his influence, and attempts to assault her one night.

The scene shifts abruptly, and Keshav goes missing.

Jaspal Singh Sandhu’s direction shines

The drama in Vadh 2 unfolds almost entirely within the desolate confines of a prison, adding fitting realism through the story’s grim and claustrophobic atmosphere.Compared to the first film, this story is more dense with characters, and yet it leaves room beyond the lead protagonists.

Shilpa Shukla, as the female warden Rajni, brings moral ambiguity that drives key events, Kumud Mishra’s jail superintendent Prakash Singh is a man obsessed with setting the ‘right example’, and Yogita Bihani (The Kerala Story) as Naina becomes the catalyst of the story.

Director Jaspal Singh Sandhu, who has also written the story, neatly plants breadcrumbs that come together near the end. The story’s appeal isn’t in what happened, since that part is straightforward and deliberately kept easy to grasp, but in how the events play out.

Holding the narrative together is investigative officer Ateet Singh (Amitt K Singh, in a star-making turn), whose affable demeanour hides sharp intelligence as he uncovers the truth about the people around him.

Is Vadh 2 worth a watch?

For a film centered on a dead body, the treatment is rather unsensational and bypasses the unnecessary sentimentality. The story unfolds at a slow but steady pace, gradually building to a clear climax. This surprising restraint makes Vadh 2 feel more assured than the first.

The result sits somewhere between the pulpy tone of Haseen Dillruba and the grit of Drishyam, finding a comfortable middle ground of its own.

A few elements from the first film return, like Shambunath complaining about the loan he took for his son, who is now distant, or Naina remains the same name for the character that drives key events. These feel more like playful nods from the director.

The film also find spaces to sprinkle in humour to cut the tension with subtlety. Before facing their superior, Shambunath has his Muslim peer say ‘Bismillah‘ while he utters ‘Jai Shri Ram‘, creating a brief, ironic moment that lands perfectly.

Vadh 2 also includes a tender bond between the lead protagonists, adding subtle depth to their dynamic without going overboard.

What works best in Vadh 2 is that the film doesn’t try to be a showcase for seasoned actors like Sanjay Mishra and Neena Gupta. Director Sandhu keeps the film controlled and simple, letting the story take centre stage. Both actors bring their A-game to their roles and this lived-in quality makes the characters and their predicament even more convincing.

‘Hatya nahin, vadh kiya hain,’ a character says, repeating a line from the earlier film that points to the title’s mythological idea of good defeating evil.

It may not be entirely realistic, but lands emotionally.

Vadh 2 Review & Rating: * * *