‘Kartavya’ review: Saif Ali Khan digs deep but film has a familiar bleakness

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.By the time four thugs corner SHO Pawan Malik (Saif Ali Khan) in his home, Kartavya has been simmering for an hour and 15 minutes. Threats are made; Saif folds his arms and tells them to do their worst. I was ready for him to knock them out cold, but then something interesting happens.

There’s a fight. It’s not even close. Saif barely gets two punches in and he’s overpowered.

It took me a while to realise this wasn’t some clever ploy on the cop’s part. When’s the last time an Indian film hero lost a fight?Kartavya doesn’t take the small-town cop film anywhere new. There’s nothing in its view of khap panchayats or corrupt local police forces that hasn’t been explored before.

Still, it’s hard to argue that Pulkit’s film doesn’t capture something of the spirit of these dejected times. Everyone in the film is resigned to their place in a rigged system, so much so that Pawan’s attempts to ensure justice are seen by well-wishers not only as foolhardiness but irresponsibility towards his family and his own prospects.The film opens on Pawan’s 40th birthday. His loyal, bumbling subordinate Ashok (Sanjay Mishra) buys him a gift on behalf of the team—white sneakers.

When Pawan gets home, his wife, Varsha (Rasika Dugal), and young boy also present him white shoes, and he mock-complains because he has several more pairs. There are worse ways to indicate someone’s a straight arrow, but the film also suggests there’s a reason Pawan hasn’t risen to the top of the chain even in a small town like Jhamli. At the start, he’s assigned to protect a visiting journalist from Delhi.