Sector 36, a Netflix film directed by Aditya Nimbalkar and written by Bodhayan Roychaudhury, is inspired by the harrowing 2005-2006 Nithari killings. Despite its intense premise—a portrait of a psychopath responsible for brutal murders—the film struggles to deliver the hard-hitting, unsettling impact one might expect from such a dark subject matter.
The film follows Prem (Vikrant Massey), a manservant to a businessman, who leads a double life as a cold-blooded killer. His victims are children of underprivileged migrants living in a camp opposite the upscale bungalow he cares for. Prem lures them into his dark lair, exploits them sexually, and kills them. What follows is not just murder, but cannibalism and dismemberment, acts carried out with a chilling nonchalance. Yet, despite the disturbing content, Sector 36 softens the horror by offering an explanation for Prem’s actions rooted in his traumatic childhood. The film’s use of Newton’s third law—every action has an equal and opposite reaction—as a justification for his crimes dilutes the potential for a truly gripping psychological thriller.
While the script attempts to provide a backstory for Prem’s descent into madness—his early years working in his uncle’s butcher shop—the portrayal of his psychopathy lacks the sting needed to make the film memorable. The character’s personal motivations, while plausible, fail to make Prem as terrifying as a serial killer should be. Vikrant Massey’s portrayal of Prem alternates between macabre and mirthful, but the decision to inject humor into such a dark narrative, especially with Prem’s croaky cackles, feels jarring.
Deepak Dobriyal, who plays Inspector Ram Charan Pandey, adds another layer of complexity. Pandey is a man who initially seems indifferent to the tragedy unfolding around him, navigating the challenges of corrupt superiors and systemic apathy. However, when his wife urges him to act, he takes on the task of investigating the disappearance of the children. Yet, despite Dobriyal’s performance, his character’s arc feels out of sync with the film’s grave subject matter. His witty quips and the humor in his dialogues clash with the severity of the situation, making the film’s tone uneven.
The tension between the dark subject matter and the film’s attempts at lightness diminishes its emotional impact. Even the climax, where Prem confesses his crimes in graphic detail, fails to deliver the punch needed to make the audience feel the horror of his actions. Instead, the writing reduces the moment to a scene that borders on the absurd, taking away from the gravity of the situation.
Sector 36 had the potential to be an edge-of-the-seat thriller, but its uneven tone, weak character development, and attempts at humor hold it back. Vikrant Massey and Deepak Dobriyal give strong performances, but even their efforts can’t elevate a script that struggles to find the right balance between crime, horror, and psychological drama.
Sources By Agencies
