“Despatch,” a Hindi crime drama (supposedly a thriller?) streaming on Zee5, spins the tale of a journalist chasing the scoop of his life in an environment full of chaos. Is it worth a watch or should you just despatch it?
Storyline
It is 2012. Joy is a Mumbai-based senior crime journalist working for a newspaper named Despatch. His life, however, is anything but joyful. Professionally, he’s grappling with the advent of the digital age, desperately seeking a front-page story to stay relevant. Personally, he’s in love with his junior Prerna and battling a failed marriage which is on the brink of a divorce.
While looking for a story after a shoot-out, he chances upon some information that smells of a meaty scam. Joy dives right in, navigating the complex matrix of police, corporates, and the underworld. While he thinks he is not afraid of anything and treads down the dangerous path, he feels hit at one point when he realises he is on a hit-list and being hunted. Can he still fight the odds and uncover the truth or has he walked too far?
Our critique
“Despatch” promises a gripping tale but ends up delivering a clutter. It does portray a journalist’s life particularly in a raw form and shows all shades of his character. The storyline stretches in too many directions—breaking news drama, marital woes, underworld activities, shell companies, hawala and more. The result? The narrative is so messed up that you are unable to keep track of the main story. And then there are the adult scenes—awkward and emotionless – they signify Joy’s attempt at ego-satisfaction than anything else.
With a screenplay that moves all over, direction that trips at places, and editing which could have been tighter the movie is difficult to bear. After the first 20 minutes, once the story setup is done, the movie descends faster than Joy’s personal life.
Screen Performances
Manoj Bajpayee, as always, gives it his all. He brings depth to Joy, the determination and desperation on full display. Shahana Goswami impresses as Joy’s distressed wife, and Archita Agarwal delivers a decent performance as Prerna. The supporting cast adds its bits.
Overall opinion
It’s a patchy, badly executed drama that fails to make an impact. Unless you’re desperate for a time-pass crime drama or are a die-hard fan of Bajpayee, you can skip this and won’t miss much.
Our rating
