- A prison-set sequel that swaps domestic dread for institutional tension.
- Neena Gupta and Sanjay Mishra deliver layered, restrained performances.
- Caste and power politics deepen the moral debate around justice.
- Execution flaws and tonal missteps dilute an otherwise strong premise.
Concrete walls, flickering tube lights, and silence heavy enough to bruise. Vadh 2 shifts the franchise from the claustrophobic domestic space of the first film into a prison drama that wrestles with crime, punishment, and the illusion of righteousness. Directed by Jaspal Singh Sandhu, the sequel reunites Sanjay Mishra and Neena Gupta in a new moral maze, one that feels ambitious, thoughtful, and occasionally over-explained.
This time, Sanjay Mishra plays Shambhunath Mishra, a financially strained prison guard weighed down by quiet loneliness. Neena Gupta is Manju Singh, a life-term inmate whose guilt is far from clear-cut. Their unlikely emotional bond forms the spine of the narrative. The stillness cracks when a politically connected predator vanishes from custody, triggering an investigation led by Ateet Singh, played by Amitt K Singh. Soon, caste prejudice, entitlement, and institutional rot begin to surface, particularly through Kumud Mishra’s layered portrayal of Superintendent Prakash Singh.
Thematically, the film aims high. It interrogates justice through the lens of systemic bias. It questions whether morality is personal or performative. It leans into the popular idea of “murder with a moral” that audiences embraced in films like Drishyam. The narrative moves as a slow burn, deliberately withholding its final karmic twist. The last act delivers a clever narrative tweak that reframes accountability. You do not need rebirth to face consequences.
Performance-wise, the film rests on solid ground. Neena Gupta brings grit without melodrama. Sanjay Mishra blends whimsy and wounded dignity with practiced ease. But it is Kumud Mishra who injects the story with electric discomfort. His superintendent, obsessed with surnames and social hierarchy, embodies a righteousness undone by prejudice. His presence lifts the emotional stakes.
Where Vadh 2 falters is in execution. The screenplay overemphasizes the binary of good and bad, leaving the morally grey underexplored. The removal of evidence feels heavy-handed. Investigative gaps, especially around call records, appear conveniently ignored. In a thriller, tension thrives on subtlety. Here, several supporting characters telegraph their intentions too loudly, draining the emotional build-up of its edge.
The second act struggles with tonal imbalance. Amitt K Singh’s self-conscious performance as the investigating officer feels mismatched against the understated gravitas of the senior cast. Stylized flourishes such as body-flaunting and cigarette poses disrupt the film’s otherwise grounded aesthetic. Instead of adding dimension, these choices distract.
Visually, the prison world is convincingly constructed through Sapan Narula’s cinematography and Sidhant Malhotra’s production design. The setting feels lived-in and credible, reinforcing the film’s realism.
Ultimately, Vadh 2 is a well-intentioned thriller with emotional depth and thematic ambition. It asks sharp questions about justice and bias, but sometimes underlines them too boldly. Like a powerful sentence crowded with punctuation, it lands its message, just not as cleanly as it could have!
