| Nail Polish (2021) | |
| Director/Writer: | Bugs Bhargava Krishna |
| Cast: | Arjun Rampal, Manav Kaul, Anand Tiwari, Rajit Kapoor, Madhoo |
| IMDB: | 7.5/10 |
| Platform: | ZEE5 |
Nail Polish Review
Nail Polish Plot:
The story is set in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh where thirty-six children have been brutally killed and burned. It have been going on for five years now without any arrest. A newly appointed police officer was faced with two more such killings. He then come across clues that lead him to arrest a very surprising suspect, Veer Singh. What follows in the court hearing with several revelations regarding the case reveals the psychological conditions of the accused that shocks everyone.
Nail Polish – Acting:
Arjun Rampal played the role of Siddharth Jaisingth who is a lawyer fighting for Veer Singh. Veer Singh is played by Manav Kaul. It felt good to see Arjun Rampal in his new avatar after his last web release, The Final Call. The performance of the ensemble cast was undeniably accurate. Rampal as a performer displayed a personality of aspiration but with cool, calm character of Jaysingh.
Anand Tiwari as Amit Kumar portrayed a contrast character to the former. He was as a lawyer who lives on honest judgement. Rajit Kapoor as a judge does a commendable job. But it is Manav Kaul who put a exemplary performance as the victim with psychological issues. His acting, expressions & body language will amaze you how he hold himself before camera. A true gem of Bollywood who we don’t get to see much often. Their convincing performance is what made Nail Polish a fresh, must-watch thriller.
Nail Polish – Technical Aspects:
Although the camera work was good but I found there are few scenes that focussed on the performance of extras. At one point it felt laggish & bit unnecessary. Especially when the two students identify the bodies. I think that sequence could have been arranged in brief.
Again there are few scenes where clash breaks inside court & the camera cuts away from the point of impact. I feel they could have shown such scenes that could have engaged audiences more. Otherwise the editing was good if we talk about building up of suspense. Obviously to instill suspense into audience a sequence needs critical editing & I think they’ve succeeded for most part.
Nail Polish also explores the personal lives of the characters & how that reflects in their professional lives. I think from a storytelling point of view it was clever as this engages audience more with the characters. Hence, giving audience the capability to judge them.
Nail Polish – VERDICT:
Not excellent but good enough to surprise the sophisticated audience. Fresh story, fresh concept, unpredicting cast & powerful performance. Remember Asur (2020), how it shocked people with its fresh concept. Nail Polish’s plot root is definitely not new. A lot of stories have been released over years that explores concept of split-personality like Psycho (1960). Or very recent release like Breathe: Into the shadows.
Obviously its story could have been molded in much different way making it a remarkable movie to be told. But the way it presented its concept with a different approach to murder story that explores uncertainty in human mind is sure to impress you.
