Sector-36 Review: A Gripping, Artful Depiction of Gruesome Real-Life Horrors

Sector-36 review

OTT Platform: Netflix
Run Time: 125 Minutes
Director: Aditya Nimbalkar

Star Cast:
Vikrant Massey as Prem Singh
Deepak Dobriyal as Ram Charan Pandey
Akash Khurana as Balbir Singh Bassi
Tanushree Das as Chumki Ghosh

Some events are so grotesque and gruesome that turning them into audio visual formats for mass consumption can be quite an eye sore. Sector-36, currently streaming on Netflix is loosely based on the 2005, Nithari killings, that shook the nation. So, is this 125 odd minutes film for everyone? Read to find out.

Prime accused Surender Kohli and Mohinder Singh Pandher have been fictionalised in the film as Prem Singh, played by Massey and Balbir Singh Bassi, played by Akash Khurana.

The film by Aditya Nimbalkar suggests that the case of the many missing children was cracked open after the police landed on Bassi’s doorstep to investigate the missing case of Chumki Ghosh, played by Tanushree Das.

As per the book by Anirban Bhattacharya, titled ‘Deadly Dozen: India’s Most Notorious Serial Killers’, published in 2006, a young 15 year old Payal went missing from outside Pandher’s bungalow. When her father Nand Lal went to check on her after she did not return home, the house help Kohli, said that she had not been there. Repeated trips to the police station and a final judicial intervention, cracked open the case of several missing children of migrants settled in this part of Noida. Chumki Das is the fictionalised version of Payal.

Deepak Dobriyal plays Inspector Ram Charan Pandey. The character of Ram Charan Pandey is not based on any specific real-life police officer, but is instead a combination of several local police officers who were involved in the Nithari case.

The monstrosity of the event has been tackled well by the director, who has avoided shot by shot decapitating of the deceased, instead the same has been done in smartly edited sequences that are interspersed by other events taking place simultaneously.

Sector 36 acknowledges the question of class and economic power linked to the case, and is a stark reminder of the real-life horrors that can lurk beneath ordinary facades.

The film is a compelling cinematic experience that excels in several key areas. The cinematography and overall style are notably impressive, creating a visually engaging and polished final product.

The cast delivers strong performances, with Deepak Dobariyal standing out for his extraordinary portrayal, while Massey has a peculiar, distracted remove from the rest of the narrative that serves as a big plus.

Vikrant Massey plays a cunning character who, while not embodying the traditional traits of a criminal, offers a satisfying performance that adds to the film’s intrigue.

The film’s pacing is just right and is very documentary like in several scenes.

So the question is- is it for all? I would say yes because it’s all in all a very good film that has tackled such a heinous event in an artful and watchable manner.