Nikita Roy Movie Review: Sonakshi Sinha & Paresh Rawal Pack A Punch In This Gripping Thriller Where Rationalism Meets Supernatural!
Nikita Roy Movie Review Rating:
Star Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Arjun Rampal, Suhail Nayyar, Paresh Rawal
Director: Kussh S. Sinha
Nikita Roy Movie Review: Kussh S. Sinha Delivers A Terrific Thriller As A Debut Director (Photo Credit –YouTube)What’s Good: Superb mounting and terrific performances from Sonakshi Sinha and Paresh Rawal.
What’s Bad: Nothing bad
Loo Break: Not at all!
Watch or Not?: Yes!!
Language: Hindi
Available On: Theatrical release
Runtime: 114 Minutes
User Rating:
Indians have now made many countries their home, and this story is thus based in London, where siblings Sanal Roy (Arjun Rampal) and Nikita (Sonakshi Sinha) are a part of a society that promotes rationalism and discourages (with evidence) superstitions and blind and irrational beliefs.
Sanal is bent on exposing a ‘spiritual’ leader named Amardev (Paresh Rawal) who has a great following, but soon begins to suffer and is murdered (or is it suicide?) under mysterious circumstances while Nikita is away. The police want to close the case, but Nikita is adamant that there has been foul play. Devoted to her brother, she tries to convince his colleagues to investigate and, finding reluctance on their part, decides to do so herself. Their friend, Jolly (Suhail Nayyar), decides to help her, and their investigations begin at Sanal’s home, where a whole lot of mysterious phenomena are seen and seemingly occult aspects sensed or described in an audio recording of Sanal.
The first step in their investigation is Freya (Kalliroi Tziafeta), who Sanal planted in Amardev’s setup to uncover what, if anything, he was up to. Freya lives in a remote cottage, and when Nikita and Jolly reach there, she behaves in a very weird manner and finally slits her own throat.
At a dead end, and under suspicion from the cops for Freya’s death, the two of them (and their relationship is turbulent, with Jolly in unrequited love with Nikita) confront Amardev, and the battle of wits begins. Amardev coolly tells Nikita that she cannot prove anything against him when she threatens to expose him within a week. Macabre things begin to happen with her (including involving a harmless cat), and we even have a corrupt British cop who adds to the goings-on.
So what’s the truth? Is it Amardev at work? Or some supernatural entity? Or is there a connection between Amardev and the demons? Will Nikita go the way Sanal went, or will she expose him as more than a spiritual leader?
Based on the original story and screenplay by Pavan Kirpalani (of Phobia fame), the script has been reworked by a bevy of writers headed by director Kussh S. Sinha and comprising Neel Mohanty and Ankur Takrani, with Belal Khalique in charge of dialogues (along with Kussh).
The movie steers away from the standard horror template and even takes on a social dimension within its storyline. There is nothing over-the-top, and the film also does not overtly go melodramatic or scary. It is the written word that strongly helps the visuals create all the atmosphere and tension and whips up the suspense quotient.
Following a more Western than Indian storytelling style, the film does not veer into extraneous zones for ‘entertainment’ but sticks to a slick and concise narration. For this reason, the denouement is also sharp and swift. But that can also be a dampener for the conventional Hindi film audience: it comes too fast, is too technically sound, and is clinically put across. Social relevance, criminal intent, and the paranormal blend quite interestingly in this riveting drama, but with a more leisurely and better-explained climax, the impact would have been even more.
Sonakshi Sinha is fantastic as Nikita, and her steely determination and seemingly stubborn nature are wonderfully brought out by her director-brother. Not that he needs to be given all the credit! Sonakshi’s debut 15 years ago in Dabangg, followed by films like Lootera, Double XL, and Kakuda, and the series Dahaad
Unlike the overhyped arty brigade of actors (we all know who they are for that very reason!), Paresh Rawal is effortlessly in sync with Amardev. His smile is deadly, unlike in his comic or emotional ventures, his body language itself ominous, and he is a psychological manipulator to the T. Mainstream brilliant actors are known to give a unique and refreshing touch to even similar kind of roles they themselves have enacted over the years (note masters in that field like Ashok Kumar, Pran, Amrish Puri, Amjad Khan, Danny Denzongpa and Om Puri) and Rawal is no different. He makes Amardev dexterously repugnant even as he seemingly hypnotizes his devotees with his magnetic charm.
Suhail Nayyar as Jolly is competent. Arjun Rampal is excellent as Sanal, and his brief role makes a lasting impact. Kalliroi Tziafeta is a talent to watch. In her (very) brief role as Freya, she is just ‘Wow!’.

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Nikita Roy Movie Review: Direction, MusicKussh S. Sinha makes a very confident debut as a director. Using standard techniques for the genres of supernatural thrillers, he excels in the mounting, production values, and narrative grammar, and I would say that he is among the best of the limited new promising talents that have come into his field in the last 10 years.
I liked the way he restricts himself to matter-of-fact emotions rather than melodrama and offers the audience a topically significant debate on how to delineate the rational from the irrational, that too through a relevant social comment.
Of late, there has been a splurge of movies that have been heroine-oriented and, coincidentally, been shot in the UK (Savi, Ulajh, The Buckingham Murders). This one effortlessly towers above them all. Comparisons notwithstanding, as a standalone thriller, it stands out too.
Three and a half stars!
Nikita Roy TrailerNikita Roy released on 18th July, 2025.
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The post Nikita Roy Movie Review: Sonakshi Sinha & Paresh Rawal Pack A Punch In This Gripping Thriller Where Rationalism Meets Supernatural! appeared first on Koimoi.