Review of Gajab Raat (Netflix)

Neeraj Pandey delivers yet another high-stakes thriller with Gajab Raat, proving that his trademark thrill-seeking formula remains unbroken even when he steps back from the director's chair.

Known for crafting definitive espionage and crime thrillers like A Wednesday, Baby, Special 26, and Naam Shabana, Pandey takes a back seat as writer-producer, handing the directorial reins over to acclaimed screenwriter Ritesh Shah (Pink, Airlift, Kahaani and Raid).   Shah transitions effortlessly to the helm, maintaining the breathless pacing and structural tension that fans of the genre crave

The narrative kicks off when Sub-Inspector Ajay (played by Manoj Bajpai), a razor-sharp, procedure-oriented officer with a flexible moral compass, raids a hotel simply because the owner failed to deliver the routine bribe (hafta) to the station in-charge (Rajiv Gupta).    The plot takes a dramatic turn when a female journalist, brutally assaulted by CBI officer (Akshay Oberoi), engaged by a power broker, escapes her captor by jumping out of his moving vehicle.   Deployed to the scene as a public relations stunt by his superiors to showcase the department's quick response time, Ajay finds himself at the centre of a media storm. Before he can secure the area, human rights activist Neha Prabhu arrives, demanding transparency and threatening to expose any police mishandling of the case or compromise.  What starts as a routine inconvenience for Ajay—who initially wanted nothing more than to drop the victim off at a hospital and sneak away to a romantic rendezvous—quickly escalates into a multi-layered conspiracy.

The Conflict & The Collusion

When the abusive CBI officer arrives at the hospital demanding the case to be handed over to him, Ajay’s sharp instincts kick in.  Ajay's corrupt nature is balanced by his sheer brilliance and an uncanny ability to navigate the complex labyrinth of police and bureaucracy. Instead of yielding, he convinces his DCP to keep the investigation under Delhi Police jurisdiction to reap the professional glory. However, Ajay's true motivation remains financial.

The stakes skyrocket when the CBI officer offers Ajay a staggering ₹5 crore bounty to bump off the journalist battling for life in the hospital.   While the corrupt cop initially accepts the contract, a visceral shift occurs within him after interacting with the victim’s family and knowing about her unyielding passion for honest journalism. Choosing redemption over a payday, Ajay transforms into a one-man army, covertly shifting the journalist to a hidden wing of the hospital to protect her life.

 

The web of corruption widens rapidly as a National Investigation Agency (NIA) operative enters the fray to seize control of the case. Soon, the SI, the right-wing activist, and the NIA officer are all offered massive financial incentives to ensure the journalist never wakes up again.

The Ultimate Reveal

At its core, the investigation unearths a sinister nexus involving a billion-dollar pharmaceutical cartel. The journalist’s undercover sting operation was on the verge of exposing how this syndicate artificially manufactured vaccine demands, manipulated supply chains, and weaponised public hysteria through fake health scares to maximise corporate profits.

A Gritty Exposé on Institutional Decay

Neeraj Pandey’s latest cinematic offering delivers a bruising, unvarnished look at the systemic rot plaguing contemporary society. The narrative pulls no punches, sketching a grim portrait of institutional corruption where every cog in the machinery—from a local Sub-Inspector and his commanding officer to CBI and NIA operatives, high-ranking politicians, and wealthy entrepreneurs—is driven solely by avarice.

In signature Neeraj Pandey style, the film completely strips away traditional commercial tropes. There are no distracting song-and-dance sequences; instead, the plot relies on a singular, high-stakes action set-piece to punctuate its realism. What remains is a taut, gripping narrative anchored by an exceptional cast.

Manoj Bajpayee’s Masterclass Performance

At the center of this stellar ensemble is Manoj Bajpayee, who delivers a powerhouse performance. Bajpayee masterfully navigates the complexities of his character, embodying shades of cunning, shrewdness, and casual flirtation. In a pivotal narrative shift, his character undergoes a rare, conscience-driven awakening, attempting to persuade his superiors to spare a victim while pragmatically suggesting they resume their illicit gains in future dealings.

The ensemble cast delivers solid performances across the board, with Rajiv Gupta’s portrayal of the SHO and Kiku Sharda as a hotelier providing the necessary comic relief. Meanwhile, Vivek Oberoi puts forward a sharp performance as the CBI officer, complemented effectively by Saleem’s commanding role as the NIA operative and Shraddha Das’s nuanced depiction of a right-wing activist.

The medical fraternity is up in arms over Sunny Deol's upcoming action-thriller, Suryaa: Ant Se Aarambh Tak, as the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has formally approached the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) seeking an urgent review or outright ban. The doctors' body alleges that the film’s newly released teaser generalises systemic corruption within the healthcare sector and normalises dangerous public violence against medical professionals by framing vigilante assaults as heroic

However, public sentiment surrounding the film presents a stark counter-narrative, viewing the cinematic backlash as a long-overdue reality check for a heavily commercialised healthcare apparatus. For decades, Indian cinema has consistently vilified politicians, law enforcement, and bureaucrats as intrinsically corrupt without triggering widespread unrest or boycotts. Defending the film's creative liberty, supporters argue that the healthcare industry—recently under fire following government disclosures revealing private hospital markups of up to 700% on critical cancer drugs is not above public scrutiny and deserves to have a mirror held up to its practices.

A must-watch.  Don’t miss

S. Prabhakar

24.10.26