Shiddat starts off very well and a lot happens in the first 20 minutes that completely engrosses viewers. However, the film goes downhill once the flashback portion starts. The director and writers adopt the 90s style of a boy harassing and stalking a girl to get her to fall in love and in today’s times, it looks out of place. The other major problem is the way they have tackled the illegal immigrant and deportation issue; there’s a major flaw here and it’s unbelievable how it got approved. What saves the film are a few touching moments, the music and performances. Sunny Kaushal is excellent and he’s sure to benefit from this film. We haven’t had such a passionate lover in ages and he gets his act right. Radhika Madan is also a revelation and gives a fine performance. Mohit Raina is quite likeable and impresses yet again. More than the Sunny-Radhika love track, it’s the Sunny-Mohit friendship track that works more. Diana Penty is lovely in a supporting role. Vidhatri Bandi (Radhika’s friend) leaves a mark. All in all, Shiddat could have been a commercial, passionate love story, a rarity in today’s times. Sadly, due to its problematic first half and glaring loopholes, it turns out to be an average fare.
My rating – ** ½ out of 5!