Set in Rajasthan’s arid outlaw country, this Netflix production puts a Hindi spin on the western tradition. Produced by, and starring, father-and-son pairing Anil and Harshvardhan Kapoor – playing a disillusioned cop nearing retirement and a murkily motived antique dealer respectively – Thar favours grit over gloss. The bracingly forthright approach to violence and the earthiness of the dialogue are hallmarks of Indian indie cinema powerhouse Anurag Kashyap, who possesses finely tuned genre instincts and a writing credit on this production. The savage drama of the landscape is evocatively harnessed: this is an unforgiving place, full of hard eyes and secrets, where newcomers are unwelcome.
But antique trader Siddharth arrives with money and offers of work, which win the trust of the local people. He also comes with a grudge and a thirst for revenge. Any film that depicts torture this enthusiastically will not be for everyone, but this snarling, feral piece of film-making gets its teeth into the audience and doesn’t let go.
