Review: Kiara Advani’s ‘Guilty’ falters, but finds its feet

The plot: College sweetheart VJ (Singh Pirzada) seems to have everything going for him. He’s the lead singer of a rock band and is dating the prettiest and wackiest girl Nanki Gupta (Kiara Advani). He’s widely adored in his Delhi college campus, but his social-climber college mate Tanu (Akansha Ranjan) accuses him of rape and sexual assault and his life unravels. The procedural, directed by Ruchi Narain, plays out in a clinical way at first through Nanki’s gaze. Should she believe her boyfriend or take note of the horrifying claims made by another woman whom she detests as a person? A battery of lawyers hired by VJ’s powerful politican father tries to resurrect VJ’s tainted reputation. The film cruises into a he-said, she-said murky zone, before reaching some kind of conclusion at the climax.

What we loved about the film: Kiara Advani, who rattles off Virginia Woolf and Franz Kafka quotes, is effective as the troubled wild-child. Initially, she comes across as pretentious and cerebral, but her ‘girl-interrupted’ vibe grows on you. She brings alive the conflict of being that girlfriend of a rape accused. Her struggle about who she should place her trust on and whether she should trust her instincts form the spin of this film. It’s a cracking start and we have to laud the makers for this novel idea. It’s Nanki’s show all the way and though Tanu is the actual casualty, the focus is mostly on Advani’s troubled character. Director Ruchi Narain does a neat job of starting off on a cracking pace. The film never gives its proverbial farm away and is designed to keep the viewers guessing. It succeeds to a large extent, but fails to keep up the brisk momentum.

Actress Akansha Ranjan does well in her limited role as the uncouth Tanu who accuses the popular, privileged boy of sexual assault. She’s also a flirtatious social climber, which makes her an interesting character, but we wish the spotlight on the alleged rape survivor stayed longer. Taher Shabbir as the strapping, sensible lawyer does justice to his part, whereas VJ isn’t given a chance to leave any kind of imprint. The issue of mental health is grazed upon, but it’s too erratic in its treatment. The toxic locker room talk that college boys indulge in to protect their own tribe is interesting to watch. And the speed with which rape survivors are shamed is a searing commentary on how sexual assault victims are treated at large.

What we disliked about the film: The climax was convoluted and melodramatic. The unnecessary drama with Kiara Advani’s character Nanki taking charge and having her own agency seemed abrupt and out-of-character. The movie would have benefitted hugely from a realistic treatment rather than utopian, neat endings. Advani’s monologue about her life, her troubled past and her dialogue on sexual misconduct seems contrived. The focus should ideally have remained on male privilege, class divides and entitlement, but descends into multiple commentaries on social topics. Bad call.

The verdict: While we hail director Narain and its writers for tackling an interesting subject, there’s no getting past the heaving climax. But that isn’t a deal breaker. Watch it for Advani’s cracking performance and a subject that’s rarely touched upon in Bollywood. Stars: 3 out of 5. Available on Netflix streaming platform.