Gajab Raat review: Manoj Bajpayee can’t save muddled mystery

Gajab Raat has the bones of an absorbing midnight crime story: a corrupt cop, an unidentified injured woman and a case that outgrows its first mystery. But the new review in Mid-Day suggests the film’s overstuffed conspiracy and soft payoff dim what Manoj Bajpayee works hard to keep burning.

A night that starts with promise

The setup places Bajpayee’s corrupt police officer in charge of an investigation after a severely injured, unidentified woman is found on the road. Before he can make progress, a man claiming to be a CBI officer, played by Akshay Oberoi, arrives and demands the case be handed over. Saqib Saleem’s NIA officer is also watching, and the simple search for a woman’s identity widens into an inquiry that touches powerful people and secrets someone wants buried.

What works and what loses the plot

The review credits Bajpayee for bringing real intensity to the corrupt cop, and the opening is strong enough to pull viewers in. The trouble comes later: the layers pile up without enough clarity, and the ending does not deliver the grip a crime thriller needs. Nushrratt Bharuccha rounds out the main cast, but it is Bajpayee’s presence that holds the centre.

• Manoj Bajpayee’s performance is the clearest reason to watch.
• The opening setup is genuinely promising and atmospheric.
• The resolution is where the film stumbles, with a tangled conspiracy and a weak finale.

Should you watch it?

For fans deciding between a theatre ticket and waiting for streaming, the review points to a clear conclusion: watch for Bajpayee’s brooding screen presence, not for a neat whodunit. Go in expecting atmosphere and a committed lead. Do not go in expecting a clean, satisfying payoff. If you can forgive a weak final act when the mood and performance hold, it may work as an easy weekend watch. If you need a tight investigative thriller, this one may test your patience.

That is also a useful reminder about crime thrillers in general: a strong cast and a striking first act can only carry a mystery so far when the conspiracy keeps multiplying without a clear reason. Gajab Raat spends its night walking that line, and by the end it has not quite found its way across.

Source: Mid-Day