MUMBAI: While Indian cinema, and Hindi cinema in particular, has had a rich history of serving some delectable suspense thrillers, especially murder mysteries, with gems like Woh Kaun Thi, Gumnaam, Ittefaq, Gupt, Johnny Gaddaar, Kahaani, Badlapur, Andhadhun instantly springing to mind. However, serial killers have remained a rather untapped subject, with merely a few pearls like Dushman, Sangharsh (itself a remake), Chup, Ek Villain (another remake) having been tackled by our filmmakers, while real-life serial killers remain even more unexplored, with only The Stoneman Murders and Raman Raghav 2.0 coming to mind. In such a scenario, we need more movies like Sector 36, especially with the new wave of true crime documentaries and podcasts gripping viewers and listeners across the globe, and more so when the film is made as well as the Vikrant Massey and Deepak Dobriyal starrer is.
Loosely based on the 2006 Noida serial murders, also known as the Nithari serial murders; Sector 36 is certainly not for the faint of heart, capable of sending chills down the spines of even seasoned true-crime aficionados or even those with a taste of gory horror movies, while certain to make sedate souls with softer palates squeamish if not repulsed.
Make no mistake though, this may be a hard watch, but for hardened psyches, it's also an immensely rewarding watch, crafted with meticulous detail and foresight to draw you into a gruesome real-life case rather than merely titillate you with guts, gore, and shock value. Yes there's, enough of all that, but writer Bodhayan Roychaudhury cares enough about what happened to ensure that they're a part of the facts and tools to take the plot forward while Director Aditya Nimbalkar does full justice to the solid material he's offered, weaving a taut and grilling narrative.
Meanwhile, Saurabh Goswami's camerawork, A. Sreekar Prasad's cuts, and Ketan Sodha's background score work seamlessly in sync with Roychaudhury's script and Nimbalkar's vision to see that everything fits like perfectly assembled cogs in a well-oiled machine. Make no mistake though, Sector 36 is primarily a Vikrant Massey show through and through, and he pulls out all the stops to arguably deliver hitherto the best of his career, aided brilliantly by the ever-dependable Deepk Dobriyal. A word for Maddock and Jyoti Despande, too, who seem to be bravely pushing the envelope with each new product they churn out in the realm of either commercial or middle-of-the-road cinema.
Barring a slight lag in the screenplay during the second act, there's a lot to like about Sector 36 for those with an appetite for gruesome stories or a penchant for unearthing new chapters in the world of true crime. Give it a serious watch on Netflix sans any distributions.
3.5/5 stars
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