Director: Prakash Jha

Cast: Arjun Rampal, Abhay Deol, Manoj Bhajpai, Isha Gupta and Anjali Patil

Rating: 3/5

Reality portrayed at its best

Based on the pressing issue of Naxalism in India, Prakash Jha’s 'Chakravyuh' is an intriguing tale of friendship and betrayal. The story is quite evident through the promos of the film. S.P. Aadil Khan (Arjun Rampal) is transferred to Nandighat to end Naxalism. Rajan (Manoj Bajpai), naxalite leader is his biggest problem. He sends his best friend Kabir (Abhay Deol) as their informer. Later, looking at why the Naxalites have taken the wrong route to get their point across, Kabir too turns into one and declares a war against Aadil. What happens next is better to watch on the big screen.

Prakash Jha’s films be it 'Rajneeti' or 'Gangajal' have been pretty much successful in narrating the true story of the real India and 'Chakravyuh' does exactly the same. To give it some entertainment value, Jha added a story of two friends to it. The film is a pleasurable experience with the story making sense, a rare combination in Hindi films.

'Chakravyuh' in a way is an eye opener for 25 percent of people in the country who do not care about the rest 75 percent that have to struggle for their daily bread. With powerful performances by the cast, nothing in the film looks made up. Abhay Deol is his usual best, though his character is a bit confused about what's right and what's wrong. Arjun Rampal does a fabulous job but there were places where he seemed to be losing grip. Om Puri was intense. The best amongst the veterans was undoubtedly Manoj Bajpai. Esha Gupta had nothing much to do. However, newbie Anjali Patil stole the show with her power packed and realistic performance.

Kabir Bedi, Kiran Karmarkar and the rest of the supporting cast were adequate. Background score of the film was loud and could have been restrained to an extent. The music and the songs were apt for the plot. The film is violent and is not suggested for people who like light movies and go to the theatres to get off their stressed lives.

Screenplay was decent and thankfully the film did not feel stretched like Jha’s previous film 'Aarakshan'. Lastly, it should not be missed for the reality it portrays but can be avoided by the weak hearted.