🎬 Overview & Context
Directed by Maneesh Bhatt, Badnaam released theatrically on February 28, 2025 in a limited rollout across India, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK reddit.com+15rottentomatoes.com+15thepollywood.com+15. With a runtime of approximately 168 minutes, the film dives into the gritty underbelly of Punjab’s black‑market liquor trade, positioning itself as an intense drama‐action hybrid bbfc.co.uk.
🧭 Storyline & Themes
The plot revolves around Badshah (Jayy Randhawa), freshly out of prison, determined to restore his family’s tainted reputation by taking on a dominant crime lord in control of the alcohol racket punjabimania.com+2the-numbers.com+2thepollywood.com+2. Haunted by childhood trauma and the shame of his father’s role in liquor-related tragedies, Badshah’s crusade evolves into a battle for justice and personal redemption reddit.com+3the-numbers.com+3punjabimania.com+3. Alongside him is a strong-willed NGO activist (Jasmine Bhasin) fighting substance abuse—a relationship that adds emotional layers amid the violence filmyhit.cloud+3cityairnews.com+3socialcounts.org+3.
The film centers around revenge, social justice, and the fight against corruption, framed by themes of generational honor and familial redemption.
🎭 Performances & Characters
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Jayy Randhawa transforms into a brooding antihero, delivering a performance marked by intensity and silent rage. Critics hail it as perhaps his most powerful role to date en.wikipedia.org+12thepollywood.com+12punjabimania.com+12.
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Jasmine Bhasin, in her Punjabi film debut, impresses with her portrayal of a socially conscious activist. Their on-screen chemistry, while not the focal point, offers tender counterweights to the aggression reddit.com+12filmyhit.cloud+12socialcounts.org+12.
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Mukesh Rishi embodies the villainous crime lord with commanding menace—his presence lends necessary gravitas.
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Nirmal Rishi and Rana Jung Bahadur add depth as family patriarchs and crime enforcers, lending emotional and antagonistic complexity punjabimania.com+9rottentomatoes.com+9thepollywood.com+9punjabimania.com+3filmyhit.cloud+3thepollywood.com+3.
⚙️ Direction, Action & Technicals
Maneesh Bhatt’s direction is stylistic, leaning into hyper‑violent sequences with graphic realism—tone‑setters like glass-shattering and bone‑crunching fights underscore an unforgiving world en.wikipedia.org+5bbfc.co.uk+5rottentomatoes.com+5. Cinematography earns praise for its stylized “next‑level” intensity, particularly in the teaser and trailer visuals punjabimania.com+2punjabimania.com+2punjabimania.com+2.
The editing maintains momentum through the first half and main conflict arcs, though the near‑three‑hour runtime occasionally feels stretched.
🔊 Music & Soundscape
The soundtrack by Mix Singh and Avvy Sra blends poignant ballads and gritty background scores filmyhit.cloud+1thepollywood.com+1. Tracks like “Title Track,” “Pyaar Da Rog,” and “Dil Di Gal” underscore the romantic and emotional midpoints. However, some musical segments feel detached from the core crime narrative filmyhit.cloud.
Sound design emphasizes brutality—gunshots, shattered glass, and bone snaps amplify the raw, visceral tone referenced in BBFC content notes bbfc.co.uk.
✅ Strengths
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Compact intensity: Jayy Randhawa anchors the film with an immersive, emotionally charged performance reddit.com+15thepollywood.com+15filmyhit.cloud+15.
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Visual grit: Bold cinematography and realistic action make it stand out in Punjabi cinema the-numbers.com+15punjabimania.com+15reddit.com+15.
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Social messaging: Tackles liquor mafia and activism, deeper than typical masala fare reddit.com+3thepollywood.com+3filmyhit.cloud+3.
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Strong ensemble: Bhasin, Mukesh Rishi, and veteran supporting cast add necessary weight.
⚠️ Weaknesses
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Excessive length: At 168 minutes, pacing dips in the middle — some critics and Reddit threads flagged verbosity socialcounts.org+9rottentomatoes.com+9punjabimania.com+9reddit.com+1reddit.com+1.
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Formulaic revenge arc: Predictable elements—crime lord confrontation, prison-to-vengeance arc—diminish novelty .
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Song integration: Musical sequences feel superficial, sometimes disrupting narrative flow reddit.com.
👥 Reception & Impact
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Rotten Tomatoes shows an audience score of 97% (though based on only a few reviews), with one 2/5 critique citing pacing and “weird” romance .
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Trailer and teaser received acclaim praised as an industry milestone socialcounts.org+1thepollywood.com+1.
