Darbaan

Rajat Kapoor's *Darbaan* arrives as a bittersweet meditation on servitude and loyalty, anchored by assured performances that elevate material that struggles to justify its cinematic ambitions. Shahab Azmi and Kriti Kulhari deliver nuanced work, while the supporting cast and Amartya Bobo Rahut's evocative score provide genuine moments of resonance. Amalendu Chaudhary's cinematography captures striking compositions across multiple locations, lending visual texture to what is ultimately a restrained narrative. Yet the screenplay by Hari Nair and Rakesh Jadhav treats its core premise—the relationship between a servant and his employer—with surprising shallowness, skirting around sociological commentary that could have deepened the human drama at its center.

What emerges is a film caught between theatrical sensibility and cinematic form, never quite committing to either. The storyline remains frustratingly underexplored, opting for surface-level observations about class dynamics rather than excavating the psychological and social complexities inherent in such relationships. The narrative feels simultaneously too slight for the big screen and too constrained by conventional sentiment to leave a lasting impression. While there's undeniable craft on display—particularly in the performances and visual language—*Darbaan* needed either a bolder thematic framework or deeper character psychology to transcend its limitations.

Rating: 5.5/10