Bhagwat Chapter One: Raakshas review: The film had all the elements for a gripping crime thriller – a missing girl, a shady prostitution racket, and the tense showdown between Inspector Vishwas Bhagwat (Arshad
Warsi) and Sameer (Jitendra Kumar), a calm college professor with a hidden side. Set in Robertsganj, Uttar Pradesh, the film has that small-town, gritty feel, but somehow the story doesn’t really hit. It barely shocks or surprises, and the suspense that a thriller needs doesn’t land in a lot of scenes.
The plot follows Inspector Bhagwat as he investigates the disappearance of a young woman named Poonam. His inquiry uncovers a local prostitution racket and brings him face-to-face with Sameer, whose calm demeanor hides a more complex identity. The cat-and-mouse dynamic between the two men should have been the film’s highlight, but it ends up feeling predictable. The narrative sets up the tension, but it never fully delivers the thrills that audiences expect.
The movie is pretty gripping for the first hour and a half, keeping things moving at a good pace. But towards the end, it starts to slow down. The courtroom scenes feel predictable, and the climax takes forever to arrive. Throwing in a long song right after the big reveal only kills the tension, making viewers wait for something they’ve already guessed. In a good crime thriller, the big twist should hit like a punch, but here it comes way too soon, leaving the ending feeling flat and less exciting.
Performance-wise, Jitendra Kumar’s Sameer is meant to be smart, dangerous, and mysterious. However, the portrayal doesn’t fully land. The character is written strong on paper, but Kumar struggles to make him intimidating or menacing. As a result, the psychological tension that the story relies on doesn’t feel convincing, and the villain never really leaves a mark.
Arshad Warsi, on the other hand, brings his usual intensity and charm to Inspector Bhagwat. He makes the character believable and serious, but the role itself isn’t written as strongly as it could have been. There are moments where Bhagwat could have been more layered or conflicted, which would have allowed Warsi to elevate the story even further. Still, his performance remains one of the film’s few positives.
The supporting cast, including Tara Alisha Berry, Devas Dikshit, Hemant Saini, and Ayesha Kaduskar, perform adequately, but their characters mostly exist to move the story forward. There isn’t much depth or emotional connection, which makes some parts of the film feel flat.
On the technical side, Akshay Shere does a decent job with the direction, and Robertsganj looks real and lived-in on screen. The movie moves at a steady pace, but there aren’t many moments that really make viewers sit up or hold their breath. The story touches upon themes like morality, justice, and human psychology, but it doesn’t dive deep enough to leave a lasting impression.
In the end, Bhagwat Chapter One: Raakshas feels like a missed opportunity. It had the potential to be a taut, engaging thriller, but fails to surprise or engage fully. The villain doesn’t impress, the story feels familiar, and even a strong performer like Arshad Warsi can’t completely lift the film. If the ending had been tighter and some of the extra scenes cut, this could have been a really gripping crime thriller. Even so, it’s still worth watching for its social message and the strong performances from the cast.
