SILENCE 2: THE NIGHT OWL BAR SHOOTOUT is the story of a heinous crime. ACP Avinash Verma (Manoj Bajpayee) heads the Special Crime Unit. He’s joined by Sanjana Bhatia (Prachi Desai), Amit Chauhan (Sahil Vaid), Raj Gupta (Vaquar Shaikh) and Javed (Nimesh Balaji Shinde).
After the events of the last film, the unit has expanded though there’s pressure on Commissioner Mayank Sharma (Manuj Bhaskar) to shut it down. One night, a deadly shootout takes place at Night Owl Bar where several people are killed. Avinash is asked to head the cast as the PA of a minister also dies in the shootout. Avinash and his team begin the investigation assuming that the shootout took place to eliminate the PA. But they soon realize that a girl present at the bar, Azma Khan (Surbhi Rohra), is the reason why the killings happened. She was present at the bar with her friend Irrfan and both were eliminated. As they investigate, the unit realizes that Azma was an escort. Meanwhile, the dead body of a girl named Tara Sachdev is found in Jaipur. Avinash realizes that there’s a connection between the two murders. But it’s not easy to zero in on a suspect as there are too many players involved, all with their own motives. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Director: Aban Bharucha Deohans.
Aban Bharucha Deohans’ story is intriguing. Aban Bharucha Deohans’ screenplay is captivating in places. In no time, one gets sucked into the goings-on. The writing is also peppered with a lot of unexpected developments. However, it gets too stretched in the middle. Aban Bharucha Deohans’ dialogues have an impact but a few one-liners seem forced.
Aban Bharucha Deohans’ direction is uncomplicated, which is very important since a lot happens in the film and there are too many suspects. As it happens in most whodunits, the director makes viewers guess who must be behind the killings and the motive for doing so. There’s also a human trafficking angle that adds a lot to the plot. In fact, the Jaipur episode keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. The suspense is unpredictable.
On the flipside, the film is 2 hours and 22 minutes long. It drags at some places. Though the makers try their best to keep the narrative simple, a few developments are confusing. The flashback of the killing at the bar is very unconvincing. How exactly the killer killed so many without a hindrance is not easy to digest. Also, the motive behind it is weak. A few developments are not depicted visually and are given a raw deal. It hampers the impact to some extent. Lastly, the title SILENCE had significance in the first installment and this aspect is missing in the sequel.
Star Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Prachi Desai, Sahil Vaid, Vaquar Shaikh.
Manoj Bajpayee, as always, is in top form. He’s superb in the investigation and dramatic scenes while he also raises laughs with his deadpan humour. Prachi Desai is apt for the part and delivers a very likeable performance. However, an actor of her calibre deserves a better character arc. Sahil Vaid is entertaining while Vaquar Shaikh is dependable. Parul Gulati (Arti Singh) has a late entry but leaves a huge mark. Dinker Sharma (Arjun Chouhan) stands out with his performance. Surbhi Rohra, Ishika Mandeep Gagneja (Amisha), Chetan Sharma (Rizwan Shaikh) and Shruti Bapna (Jaya Rawal) are very good in supporting parts. Randheer Rai (Gaurav; Jaipur resident) is fair. Manuj Bhaskar doesn’t get much scope. Dave Deohans (Winston) performs well but his character seems forced. The other actors who do well are Rahul Chowdhry (Dr Saifuddin Qureshi), Mahi Jain (Rimjim; who calls from the dhaba), Padam Bhola (Rajeev Singh), Pankaj Chauhan (Ravi; who refuses to sleep with the girl) and Ranjana Choudhary (Anika). Neena Kulkarni (Amisha’s grandmother) is lovely in a special appearance.
On the whole, SILENCE 2: THE NIGHT OWL BAR SHOOTOUT is an intriguing murder mystery but suffers due to the long length and certain loose.