420 IPC on Zee5 is an edge of the seat courtroom drama with an outstanding performance by Rohan Vinod Mehra

Featuring an ensemble cast of Vinay Pathak, Ranvir Shorey, Gul Panag and Rohan Vinod Mehra, ZEE5's suspense drama 420 IPC seems to be a fine entertainer. Directed by Manish Gupta and produced by ZEE Studios and Rajesh Kejriwal and Gurpal Sachar under their banner Kyoorius Digital P.L, the film centres on a chartered accountant Bansi Keswani (Pathak), who is arrested for an economic offence. Mehra plays the part of Pathak’s defence lawyer, while Shorey will be seen essaying the role of an eccentric Parsi public prosecutor with Panag playing the wife of Pathak's character.

Vinay Pathak is a simple Chartered Accountant who has influential clients like the Deputy Director of MMRDA. When this client is arrested by the CBI for a 1200 crore scam and when another client accuses Keswani (Pathak) of stealing and forging 3 blank cheques of Rs. 50 Lakhs each, Keswani’s life turns upside down as he fights the grave accusations of theft, forgery, and attempted bank fraud. 

Performances

Pathak as Keswani is a little underwhelming, given the fine performances that he has given so far. With his recent stint in Special Ops 1.5, one does tend to have high hopes from him and rightly so. Though he is also a tad bit under utilized, he does just about a decent performance. Following him is his on-screen wife, Gul, who also does what is asked of her, but doesn't have a lot to do.

The absolute star performance for me, is Rohan as Birbal, a defense lawyer who does pulls off his role with utmost ease. You love to see his aura, the dialogue delivery, and his on-screen presence as a whole, all click just about perfectly and he stands out and how. Ranvir, though might seem a little annoying (also because you are rooting for the opposite team), has understood the assignment right and does his part well.

The Good

The writing of the show and some highs at the right time do go well with the viewers and that's what keeps you hooked until the very end to see how things work out eventually. While there's no extremely high octane climax that the movie gets, it does its job at being a suspense drama after all. 

Another plus about the movie is that the writers and the team know where do they want to take the story forward and keep it short, choosing not to drag it for another half an hour or so. Short, crisp, and to the point, the direction of the movie is also decent making sure they follow the basic tropes to it.

The Not So Good

As a whole, given the cast that the movie has and the topic that it deals with, you it does not live upto your expectations how you'd want it to. Though you enjoy watching the movie, you don't completely feel satisfied at the end of it.

Verdict

420 IPC on ZEE5 is a fun watch and leaves you entertained, however, it goes without saying that the movie does have potential and deserves a watch before we make a decision on it.

Ratings: 3/5