India Lockdown is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Madhur Bhandarkar and produced by P J Motion Pictures and Pen India Limited along with Bhandarkar Entertainment. The film stars an ensemble cast of Shweta Basu Prasad, Aahana Kumra, Prateik Babbar, Sai Tamhankar, Prakash Belawadi and Saanand Verma.[1] The film was scheduled for a world premiere at the 52nd International Film Festival of India.[2] The film was commercially released on ZEE5 on December 2, 2022.[3] The movie deals with the repercussions of the COVID-19 lockdown in India and how the people of the country struggled through it.[4][5]

India Lockdown
Official release poster
Directed byMadhur Bhandarkar
Written byAmit Joshi
Aradhana Sah
Produced byJayantilal Gada
Madhur Bhandarkar
Pranav Jain
Starring
CinematographyPalash Das
Keiko Nakahara
Production
companies
  • Pen India Limited
  • Bhandarkar Entertainment
  • Pen Marudhar Entertainment
  • P J Motions Pictures
Distributed byZEE5
Release date
  • 2 December 2022 (2022-12-02)
Running time
112 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi

Plot

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The film showcases four parallel stories – a father-daughter duo stuck in different cities, a sex worker and her troubles, a migrant worker with bare resources, and a pilot.[citation needed]

Cast

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Production

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The shoot of the film started after the 2020 lockdown.[6] The shoots were wrapped by March 2021.[7] The film secured a certification from the Central Board of Film Certification in October 2021.[8]

Marketing

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The teaser trailer of the movie was released on November 8.[9] when it was trending on X, Formerly known as Twitter leading to panic among the netizens in India of another lockdown being imposed by the Indian government.[10]

Release

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It was announced in November 2022 that film would have a direct-to-digital release via ZEE5.[11]

Reception

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Anuj Kumar for The Hindu wrote, "Madhur's treatment of subjects is usually high-pitched and he paints his scenarios with broad strokes, but here, he has roped in a cast of competent actors to convey what is not there on the page."[12] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express rated the movie 1.5/5 and wrote "...an older woman rescues a younger one from the flesh trade. The rest is just banal story-telling, with little new to say."[13] Zinia Bandyopadhyay of India Today gave the film a rating of 2/5 and wrote "Bhandarkar is an excellent director, and there is no doubt about that. But probably in his attempt to weave the story together, he missed other aspects like a compelling background score, or even performances, for that matter!"[14] Ronak Kotecha of The Times of India rated the film 3/5 and wrote "More than 2 years after the first countrywide lockdown in India, director Madhur Bhandarkar and his writers (Amit Joshi and Aradhana Sah) have come up with a compilation of stories that are real and relatable."[15]

References

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  1. ^ "Madhur Bhandarkar's India Lockdown to release directly on ZEE5; stars Shweta Basu Prasad, Aahana Kumra, Prateik Babbar". Bollywood Hungama. November 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  2. ^ "Exclusive - Sooraj Barjatya On Working with Amitabh Bachchan & Other Uunchai Cast". The Telegraph (India). Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  3. ^ "India Lockdown OTT Release Date: When And Where To Watch Madhur Bhandarkar's Upcoming Film". Dainik Jagran. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  4. ^ "Madhur Bhadarkar to direct 'India Lockdown' for streamer ZEE5". The Hindu. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  5. ^ "India Lockdown: Madhur Bhandarkar Is All Set To Tell Us A Tale About The Aftermath Of The Pandemic With This Prateik Babbar & Aahana Kumra Starrer". Miss Malini. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  6. ^ "'India Lockdown': Madhur Bhandarkar says "shoot in progress" as he shares pictures from the sets of his upcoming film". The Times of India. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  7. ^ "Madhur Bhandarkar wraps up 'India Lockdown' shoot". The Deccan Herald. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  8. ^ "Madhur Bhandarkar's India Lockdown passed with minor changes and 'A' certificate". The Times Of India. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  9. ^ "India Lockdown teaser OUT: Madhur Bhandarkar's film triggers the horrors of Covid-19". India TV. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  10. ^ "'India Lockdown' trends on Twitter, leads to some panic among users". The Economic Times. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  11. ^ "Madhur Bhandarkar's India Lockdown passed with minor changes and 'A' certificate". ABP News. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  12. ^ Kumar, Anuj (2 December 2022). "'India Lockdown' movie review: Madhur Bhandarkar paints stories of the pandemic spirit, with broad strokes and a tinge of dark humour". The Hindu. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  13. ^ Gupta, Shubhra (2 December 2022). "India Lockdown movie review: Banal storytelling, with little new to say". The Indian Express. Retrieved 3 December 2022.     
  14. ^ Bandyopadhyay, Zinia (2 December 2022). "India Lockdown review: The Madhur Bhandarkar film fails to evoke emotions". India Today. Retrieved 2 December 2022.     
  15. ^ Kotecha, Ronak (2 December 2022). "India Lockdown Review: A simple yet relatable take on the life in a lockdown". The Times of India. Retrieved 2 December 2022.     
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