Law enforcement officer seems to be 
John Abraham’s favorite onscreen persona.
A cursory look at IMDB will tell you that in the last decade, he has played some variation of this character
in eight films, which range from Force to
Romeo Akbar Walter to Satyameva Jayate.
In the last one, he is a vigilante who kills
corrupt cops but once again, the motive is
to uphold the law and the Indian flag.
And John doesn’t seem to be 
tiring of this character
– Satyameva Jayate 2 and 
Dishoom Again are in production.
My theory is that these roles 
fit him like a glove
because they showcase his outsized physicality –
in Batla House also,
we see him shirtless – 
and his stoic face.
As an actor, John is most convincing in uniform,
brimming with desh bhakti 
and righteous fury.
In Batla House, he plays DCP Sanjay Kumar Yadav,
inspired by the real-life Delhi super cop
 Sanjeev Kumar Yadav.
The film is based on a controversial 
police operation in Delhi.
On September 13, 2008, there was a series
of deadly bomb blasts in the city.
Six days later, on September 19, 
DCP Yadav raided a flat in Batla House
and two alleged terrorists were shot dead.
The boys were university students
and the police came under severe criticism
for literally jumping the gun. 
Conspiracy theories spread like wildfire.
Political leaders, looking to score points, announced 
that it was a fake encounter.
A judicial inquiry was ordered but eventually the police department was given a clean chit
by the National Human Rights Commission.
Sanjeev Kumar Yadav is India’s most decorated 
police officer with 9 gallantry medals.
Batla House is a salute
to his unstinting courage.
The film starts on a high note. Director Nikkhil
Advani and writer Ritesh Shah instantly immerse
us into the horrific pressures of Sanjay’s
life – his marriage is falling apart but
he can barely process that. His men are in
the midst of a shoot-out at Batla House.
A key member of the unit has already 
been wounded. It’s a crowded locality.
Every minute requires Sanjay to make a decision that could mean the difference between life and death –
there are television cameras, 
protesters, outrage and guns.
You can feel the inch-thick tension and the chaos.
And in the middle of it all, stands the police officer, startled by his own brush with death,
cornered by the citizens
he has sworn to protect.
After the encounter, Sanjay and his team are
crucified by press, politicians and seniors.
The film tries to explore the headspace of
a cop whose courage is rewarded with vilification.
At one point he asks, kya hum galat thhe?
Like Lady Macbeth, he is haunted 
by the blood on his hands.
But the scenes that capture his emotional landscape and his post-trauma stress don’t land.
It’s far more interesting
to see Sanjay in hot pursuit of criminals.
I think the weak link is the film’s tonality.
Nikkhil and Ritesh want both 
- the heft of fact and the drama of fiction.
This blend incidentally seems to 
have become Bollywood’s favorite genre
– the other Hindi film releasing this weekend, 
Mission Mangal, also attempts the same.
But it's a tricky tightrope act.
Some scenes, like the opening in Batla House 
are designed to feel like a documentary.
Through the film, actual news clips 
with leaders like Amar Singh
and L. K. Advani are bunged in to underline
the authenticity of what we're seeing.
But other scenes are full of theatrics – 
like one in which Sanjay recites verses
from the Koran to a prisoner he's interrogating.
And some, like a Nora Fatehi item number
are straight-up masala formula.
Though here, Nora actually
plays a character and even gets a few lines.
The film’s pacing is also uneven. The action
sequences are crafted with precision but the
songs make the story sluggish. Especially
those that are inserted to show us the fraying
relationship between Sanjay and his wife 
Nandita, played by Mrunal Thakur.
Nandita is a television news journalist.
But little about her demeanor suggests 
the pressures of her life – personal or professional.
She's always impeccably made up, 
even in court where she comes to
support her husband who she 
insists on calling him Sanjay ji.
This relationship should have been the spine of the film but it doesn’t have enough depth or emotion.
What saves the day is a burst of full-blown
melodrama. In the climactic courtroom scene,
Sanjay gives a rousing speech and Rajesh Sharma
as the defense lawyer hams to glory.
He presents the students' point of view.
But make no mistake, Batla House isn’t 
a Rashomon-like investigation of many truths.
This film is firmly on the side 
of  the beleaguered cops
and it makes its point with 
the subtlety of a sledgehammer.
Which is why Batla House will satisfy John
Abraham fans.
Those biceps were not made for nuances.
Viewers looking for a more layered
exploration of izzat, farz, desh
should probably go elsewhere.
