Movie review: Naam Shabana

Tapsee Pannu rules the bustling intrigue-filled universe of this film. After "Pink", Tapsee is again in startling form as Shabana Khan, an ordinary girl with extraordinary resilience who, when pushed into a corner, hits back. Hits back really hard. The thing about Tapsee is, she is never caught acting. I could only see this steel-willed imperturbable spunky girl onscreen. Shabana is seen to live in a crowded Muslim locality of Delhi, shot by cameraman Sudhir Palsane with rigorous authenticity. As Shabana strides across the screen with a confidence that comes from a place opposite to emotional/economic security, we sometimes catch passersby staring at her. This could be gawkers looking at Tapsee. Or Shabana's neighbours watching her in admiration. "Naam Shabana" takes the risk of exposing itself to crowds. A lot of the gripping narrative unfolds on crowded streets. Nair cuts the scenes in motions of anguished urgency where we at once sense the protagonist's need to avenge the wrongs done to her in the past and in the immediate here-and-now.