Cash On Delivery

Siddharth (Malhar Thakar) is a delivery boy who gets entangled in a game of political power as he becomes witness to a murder. In between the bigwigs of the society, from politicians, corporate honchos and religious gurus in the line of fire, Siddharth wages a war against corruption, greed, murder, kidnapping and sexual harassment to come out as a winner. And his girlfriend Aditi (Vyoma Nandi) stands by him as he takes the system head on.

A murder mystery or a thriller is never the easiest topic to handle. Not only does it require sleek editing, a strong storyline and palatable twists and turns, attempting a topic like this itself is a brave step on the part of director Neeraj Joshi. A two hour 17 minute film, sans any song sequences, means relying on a strong screenplay for the entire duration, and Cash on Delivery manages to surpass that hurdle. That the entire team has done all the hard work in creating a film that will keep the audience hooked to their seats is visible in the chase scenes and other meticulously crafted outdoor shots.

For a film that heavily relies on a single character, Malhar Thakar has done a great job, as the actor is there in almost all the frames. Not only can we see his growth as an actor, but his comic timing and hard work is visible in scenes where he jumps roof-tops and escapes from multi-storey buildings as he goes on investigating the murder mystery. And debutante Vyoma Nandi has lent a good supporting act. Not only do the lead stars share a good onscreen chemistry, few romantic scenes do stand out in the film.

But the film isn’t devoid of flaws. While Neeraj has successfully managed to create suspense and thrilling moments in parts, the story as a whole could have been much stronger. The entire build up of the mystery seems to dissolve in the climax scene, where the confrontation happens between Siddharth and the men behind the murky world. Few romantic moments seem misplaced, band in between tension built up and even the background score in those scenes feels like a misfit. That the director comes from an advertising background is visible in parts.

Actors like Anang Desai, Darshan Jariwala and Ratan Rajput could have been used better, as they all have the capability to lift a movie on their own.
Overall, handling a thriller is never easy as there are a number of loose ends that might stand out as a sour thumb. But filmmaker Neeraj Joshi has managed to put together a thriller that still excites at certain points and to pull off a film without any songs is also a commendable job.