Despatch movie review: Manoj Bajpayee's investigative thriller is a tedious watch
Despatch movie review: Manoj Bajpayee's film is all set to be released on ZEE5 and OTTplay Premium on December 13. Here's our review of the Kanu Behl directorial.
2.0/5
Dec 10, 2024
Despatch movie review
Despatch
Despatch Story:
Filmmaker Kanu Behl's investigative thriller, Despatch, revolves around the life of a crime journalist Joy Bag (Manoj Bajpayee). Working at a publication called Despatch, Joy goes to extreme lengths to uncover the truth and break a story. What begins with Bag chasing a drug lord's murder story, throws him right in the middle of a bigger scam.
Despatch Review:
The mere idea of how crime journalists cover and break stories for their publication sounds intriguing. But, to make a film based on this thought and present it well on the screen, is a different game altogether. Filmmaker Kanu Behl takes the plunge with his film Despatch, to be released on ZEE5. The director attempts to make an intriguing and edge-of-the-seat investigative thriller — where a crime journalist tries to get hold of the people involved in a major scam and present front page 'breaking news' for his newspaper. However, the film, much like its lead character Joy Bag, gets trapped in its web.
Despatch begins with Joy Bag (Manoj Bajpayee) trying to chase the story of the drug lord's murder. He gets a strong lead and with the help of the police, tries to cover a smuggling racket in the docks (which has a connection to a drug lord's murder). While working on his next big story for the newspaper Despatch, Joy finds himself in troubled waters when he learns that the murder is not restricted to gang war, but is a much bigger scam. Despite repeated warnings to stay away from the matter, Bag remains adamant about uncovering the truth about the Rs 8,000 crore scam. What happens when Joy finds himself in this mess? The answer lies in the film.
On one hand, Despatch sheds light on Joy's professional life where he tries to keep up with his job amid the digitalisation of media. Bag, on the other hand, has a tumultuous married life with his wife Shweta (Shahana Goswami). He is also involved in an extramarital affair with his female colleague Prerna (Arrchita Agarwaal).
Amid juggling both aspects, the essence of this investigative thriller is lost. Kanu Behl, as captain of this ship, fails to give justice to both parts. As a result, some scenes seem repetitive and half-baked. Too much of obscene scenes seem forced in the story, which has mainly to do with a crime journalist's professional life. The movie would've been crisp and to the point if the makers hadn't delved much into the complexities of its lead character's personal life.
As far as the performances are concerned, Manoj Bajpayee is just as fine. The actor tries to hold the movie well but his efforts go in vain. If it weren't for Manoj's performance, Despatch would've been a complete snooze-fest. The supporting star cast including Shahana Goswami and Arrchita Agarwaal put in hard work but that doesn't add much to level up the film.
Despatch Final Verdict:
Manoj Bajpayee's investigative thriller Despatch doesn't offer much thrill as it gets trapped in its own web. You can rather chill and watch other shows that will stream this week.
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