I watched the new Netflix thriller “Sector 36” two nights ago and I have some things to say about it, this movie was certainly tone compare to what the true story is but I personally understand the topics the movie touch on can trigger people and its a movie not a documentary after all, they have to make money out of it. This is a 2024 movie based on the Nithari killings and the movie had me in suspense and tension for quite a couple of scenes, I had mixed feelings about it and would like to clear out my opinion about it, did enjoy and would recommend it as long as you are not so familiar with the over all case that happen in real life, this movie is based on real events.
I got no problem with watching movies with subtitles and honestly hate dubbed versions, the movie is situated in a crowded Indian market area which had children disappearing mysteriously. You know, something that may be a beginning of every parents’ nightmare, I have seen it happen, parents calling their kids in the park with no answer back. That is exactly what “Sector 36” delivers while adding a pinch of dirty police officers and a hint of cannibalism. Yep your blood pressure goes high when you mix those to words "children and cannibalism", you are not dreaming. As far as the raw material of life goes, this movie doesn’t shy away but then again, it does to an extent. It is as if they intended to do a very grand job, but at the last minute, second thoughts struck them or something put a stop to go all savage mode with the movie.
We have a cop, Ram Charan Pandey, which is portrayed by Deepak Dobriyal, he is not exactly going to win any “Officer of the Year” awards at first. He cares more about taking bribes and talking about Newton’s law than solving cases, but when a kid’s hand appears in the sewer, he cannot close his eyes and pretend that he did not see anything wrong, especially when he himself nearly loses his very own daughter to this man, this is what one would call a rude awakening. On the other side, we have Prem Singh portrayed by Vikrant Massey. Prem is the kinda guy you’d never think is a serial killer, been a happy go lucky fellow pretending to be a servant in this big beautiful house, but behind closed doors?! Let’s just say he has some very sick and twisted interests which include children and a meat cleaver. This are the kind of thoughts that would make you shut down the the TV depending on your "taste" on movie, I love horror movies but even for me this is a wtf territory but what kept me watching is that some of this stuff happen in real life so I wanted to know more about it, see I'm the type of guy who watch the movie first and then read the news to not spoil the story for myself and then double check how real the dramatization was.
The movie falls into this cat and mouse game between Pandey and Prem while in the middle of lots of corruption and hush money. We are referring to corrupt businessmen, influence, policemen turning blind and society that appears to be programmed to favor those who are evil, its sad but its true and that is how I interpret the movie, it is quite annoying to observe, but for sure its what keep most of the audience glue to the screen to find out what happens next.
Let me pause and talk a bit about the performances because that is the most important aspect in this movie since its part fiction based on real events. Deepak Dobriyal as Pandey, he nails the role, I think you can clearly see this transition from this lazy, corrupt cop to a man with a purpose. It is such an interesting thing to watch a person gain a backbone in real time. There is this scene where he is torturing Prem and the expressions of his face when he is hearing all the details? It is very easy to smell his hatred and his resolve through the screen.
I must say that Vikrant Massey who played Prem was the most impressive among all the actors, this man might have a quick cameo on your next nightmare after this movie, he performed like a madman. He moves from being friendly to scary within the shortest time possible, I remember when he was saying that he did all this and that, it is so dramatic that one feels like looking away but cannot. What Massey does to Prem is to bring to him this eerie sense of calmness that makes him even more creepy, I think that is some next level acting, people. The rest of the cast is equally good as well and they all give their best in this movie, although the story is fixed between very few characters and that's good because there are not a lot of side stories to follow and get lost in between. Akash Khurana as the disgusting businessman Bassi, made me want to cringe and Darshan Jariwala as the corrupt DCP, gives the perfect impression of ‘I am just obeying orders’ that helps the darker side to prevail.
I feel like there are reactions to both sides of the rope, everyone is talking about the cast and their acting skills especially that of Massey. The tension and atmosphere are also being complimented a lot as well, but here is the rub, some people are of the opinion that the movie did not go far enough. They were expecting it to go further into the actual event that the film is inspired from, to get into the horror and socio political aspects of it but the truth is how far can you go and still be possible to make a profit and legal to be on TV, specially without getting a big backlash for been just too savage and raw. I sort of understand where they are coming from, it raises some serious issues, social differences, police brutality, how fragile young are, but doesn’t go as far as it should. It’s the case of not want to go to real life and be too raw. I understand some people might have wanted to see more of the raw aspect while other viewers are probably thankful that it was not portrayed fully. I think it was rather wise that they did not overdo it with the gore. This is not a slasher movie, its about sending a message to parents. But on the other hand, there is the feeling that they could have used the horror of the event as a real life to the maximum, or at least more. As you can imagine, the movie kinda skirts some of the darker edges which is entirely explicable given the subject matter but it also makes it feel a little lest say cleaner? sanitize? not sure what would be the best word to describe it.
Let me be clear, however, it remains a good old fashion thriller. I have to admit the way they establish suspense is excellent since during the entire movie there is always this feeling of fear and anxiety in the background that makes you always alert. And the visual style with the gothic and gloomy which is quite appropriate given how the story develops.
But here's where I think they stumbled a bit, the ending is a very good example of the show’s attempts to make audiences happy and I don’t want to give too much of it away, it just felt a little convenient but then again movies are suppose to make money so I get why they kept it commercial, as if they wanted to continue the series rather than try to give the shows some sort of closure. I felt that there was lack of enough closure, enough justice for the victims, this did not leave me with this but an uneasy feeling and not in the intellectual, provocative way which was expected.
I give it 7. 5 out of 10. It is okay, quite often even outstanding, but it is not outstandingly outstanding its not "Dune" masterpiece level. It is that kind of movie that will make you leave your couch feeling like you’ve been through something, provoked thoughts and most likely engage in some debates with your friends and family, oh wait until my wife watch this movie, she will talk about it for days.
