Basht

Story: Raja (Prashant Sheth) a do-gooder, volunteers to serve the sentence of a family man who is involved in a hit and run case. However, after completing his sentence, Raja has no job prospects and thus, he takes it upon himself to reform some petty criminals.

Review: The word Basht, according to the filmmaker, means the inner sphere of the deprived. And the central theme of the film is that if the underprivileged are helped, they will not resort to crime.

Perhaps inspired by the life of outlaws, this film is a tardy watch. The first half of the film delves into Raja’s life after he is released from jail. He goes on to identify petty criminals from the street and forms a gang that aims to help those in need, by taking from the privileged. One day, fate brings Raja face to face with his mentor Deodhar kaka (Arun Nalawade). That takes us to the second half, which takes the viewers into a flashback to answer the question as to why Raja was in jail and what shaped him into the person he is today.

On some levels, the film justifies robbery and that is its biggest negative. Besides, a lacklustre story, below average direction and shoddy execution hamper the film further. The protagonist Prashant has a long way to go and needs urgent acting lessons. Arun Nalawade is wasted thanks to a bad script.

All in all, you can avoid going to this one.