“Kill,” a Hindi-language action thriller released on July 5, 2024, directed by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat and produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and Guneet Monga’s Sikhya Entertainment, is a visceral, blood-soaked spectacle that lives up to its blunt, single-word title with ferocious intensity. Starring newcomer Lakshya, alongside Tanya Maniktala, Raghav Juyal, and Abhishek Chauhan, the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023, earning runner-up for the People’s Choice Award in the Midnight Madness section, before hitting Indian theaters and later streaming on Disney+ Hotstar from September 6, 2024. With a modest budget of ₹40 crore, it grossed ₹47.12 crore worldwide—a respectable return for a film that thrives on niche appeal rather than mass-market gloss.

Set aboard a New Delhi-bound sleeper train, “Kill” starts with a familiar Bollywood trope: a romantic subplot. Amrit (Lakshya), an NSG commando, boards the train to reunite with his love, Tulika (Tanya Maniktala), who’s been forced into an arranged engagement by her wealthy father. But this isn’t a typical love story. The melodrama takes a backseat when a gang of over 40 knife-wielding bandits, led by the unhinged Fani (Raghav Juyal), storms the train to rob its passengers. What begins as a rescue mission morphs into a brutal, no-holds-barred killing spree as Amrit, joined briefly by his commando buddy Viresh (Abhishek Chauhan), unleashes hell on the invaders.

The film’s genius lies in its simplicity and execution. After a brisk 15-minute setup, it dives headfirst into unrelenting action, barely pausing for breath over its 1-hour-45-minute runtime. The train’s claustrophobic corridors, sleeper berths, and even a bathroom become a battleground for some of the most inventive, bone-crunching choreography seen in Indian cinema. Action directors Se-yeong Oh and Parvez Sheikh (known for “War” and “Tiger 3”) craft sequences that favor raw, close-quarters combat over gunplay—think knives, hammers, cleavers, and a fire extinguisher turned weapon—delivering a visceral punch that rivals “The Raid” or “John Wick.” Cinematographer Rafey Mehmood maximizes the confined setting, making every stab and swing feel suffocatingly real, while the sound design—full of cracks, squelches, and thuds—amplifies the carnage.

Lakshya, in his debut, is a revelation. He embodies Amrit with a simmering intensity that erupts into a feral rage, especially after a mid-film twist (marked by a perfectly timed title card drop) shifts his mission from protection to annihilation. His physicality—honed through rigorous training—is matched by an emotional core that keeps you rooting for him, even as the body count soars into the triple digits. Raghav Juyal, however, steals the show as Fani, a sadistic yet oddly charismatic villain whose unpredictability adds a layer of menace. His performance—dancing between psychotic glee and chilling grief—elevates the bandits from faceless goons to a flawed, humanized family, a rare touch in such a genre piece. Tanya Maniktala’s Tulika, while pivotal, is more a catalyst than a fully fleshed-out character, and the supporting cast, including Ashish Vidyarthi as Fani’s father, grounds the chaos with understated gravitas.

“Kill” isn’t flawless. The romantic setup feels perfunctory, a nod to Bollywood convention that’s quickly overshadowed by the action. Some critics argue the relentless violence—heads smashed, throats slit, bodies piled like trophies—becomes numbing, and the plot’s thinness leaves little room for narrative depth. Yet, this is by design. Bhat doesn’t aim for introspection; he wants you breathless, exhilarated, and maybe a little queasy. A standout moment comes when Fani, bloodied and broken, calls Amrit a “raakshas” (demon) rather than a “rakshak” (protector), hinting at a moral ambiguity that’s more felt than explored—a tease of complexity in an otherwise straightforward slaughter fest.

“Kill” isn’t for the faint-hearted—its gore and nihilism push Hindi cinema into uncharted territory, far from the sanitized heroism of typical Bollywood actioners. It’s a brutal, stylish, adrenaline-pumping anomaly that sacrifices nuance for impact. If you crave a film that delivers exactly what it promises—violence, chaos, and a hero who’s as monstrous as he is heroic— “Kill” is an unmissable triumph. Just don’t expect to leave the theater unscathed.

Rating: 4/5

A groundbreaking actioner that’s as exhausting as it is exhilarating— “Kill” is the shot of adrenaline Indian cinema didn’t know it needed.