Review: Eesha Koppikhar gives a convincing performance in ‘Shabri’

Zeenews Bureau

Ram Gopal Varma is known for his unbridled love for Mumbai underworld. After helming films like ‘Satya,’ ‘Company,’ ‘James,’ and ‘D,’ Varma is once again associated with another gangster film - ‘Shabri,’ this time chronicling the life of a female gangster. Directed by Lalit Marathe and produced by Ram Gopal Varma, Eesha Koppikhar starrer ‘Shabri’ is not exactly a high charged gangster drama, where an unglamorous, saree-clad, gun-toting Shabri goes on a rampage. Rather than dwelling upon the making of a female thug, the film focuses on revenge drama where Shabri settles the score of her brother’s wrongful death, who was killed in police custody. When Shabri kills a cop, she goes underground with the help of a bookie, Murad (Raj Arjun), which incenses his boss Rajdhar Bhau (Pradeep Rawat). When Rajdhar Bhau kills Murad, Shabri takes a vow to annihilate Rajdhar. Despite being in production for more than a decade, ‘Shabri’ boasts of the classic Ram Gopal Varma as his protégé Lalit Marathe dishes out crisp script, brilliant editing and extracting superior performances from its cast. Even though the film has no apparent flaws, there are certain hiccups, for instance, the film does not gives us a sneak peek into the life of the making of Shabri as a gangster and her gradual rise to power. In this way, ‘Shabri’ could have fleshed out the seminal character in a more succulent way. Despite a brilliant handling of a woman centric subject, the film loses its vision midway by failing to provide enough ground to Shabri. In terms of acting, ‘Shabri’ is Eesha’s best performance till date. Playing a central character, Eesha is in total control of her character and adds a lot of conviction to the portrayal of a female gangster. Zakir Hussain’s cop act is satisfactory and Pradeep Rawat gets his act right. ‘Shabri’ is not a bad one time watch. Ratings: Three cheer for this one!