Thar

“Visually, it is an immersive film. If it does not dissolve into nothingness, it is principally because of the visual depth and range that the cinematographer imparts to the frames and the subdued but striking colour palette that she creates. Dube lends the film a distinctive veneer that often serves to disguise the unbearable lightness of the proceedings.”

Rating: 2.5 stars | Full review

“The difference between still and dead distinguishes a Western from an imposter. Where one’s mood can change any moment and escalate into danger and surprise, the other goes around in circles on empty, endless terrain… Thar purports itself as a deadpan, desi Western, but fails to ignite any excitement on screen.”

Rating: 2.5 stars | Full review

“This is one of those films where the setting is the real hero… Would have been called a spaghetti western in the days when Sholay (1975) was released. The filmmakers are aware of how much Thar, set in 1985, reminds us of the OG desi western–a balcony with a woman looking over it, the blazing lights of the desert, the armed men clattering on horses, and the keening violins.”

Rating: 2.5 stars | Full review

“Thar has an identity problem, but the collision of genres is also its conceit. On one hand, it’s a period police procedural that gets hijacked by a cold-blooded revenge drama… On the other hand, Thar is a standard small-town noir set in an unusual environment… The revenge genre has undergone several iterations over the years, but it started out as a gun-toting Western. In arid deserts and one-horse towns. Siddharth is no cowboy; he is more like a modern revenge protagonist, urban and shadowy, confined by the roots of the genre.”

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“Takes full advantage of the location… to create an immersive visual experience that single-handedly compensates for the barebones plot.”

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“Thar is not a conventional Hindi film. What makes it even more uncommon is the repeated reference to casteism, coming as it does from an industry that has, for a couple of decades now, largely pretended that the caste system does not exist.”

Rating: 2.75 stars | Full review