Anurag Kashyap-directed Bandar (Hindi) has generated polarizing reviews from critics. Most reviewers agree that it features a spectacular, career-defining performance by Bobby Deol. The Bollywood hero was back in action with a banger with Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal in 2023. Since then, he has acted in noted films such as Nandamuri Balakrishna's Daaku Maharaaj and the yet-to-be-released Jana Nayagan.
Critics are near-unanimous in praising Bobby Deol's portrayal of Samar Mehra in Bandar. He plays a washed-up, fading actor-singer who finds himself caught in a legal nightmare after being accused of rape by his ex-girlfriend Gayatri (Sapna Pabbi) in the movie.
Reviewers note that the Gangs of Wasseypur maker subverts Bobby Deol's mainstream alpha-masculine persona. "He strips away his commercial facade to expose a vulnerable, anxiety-ridden, and defenseless man-child," a reviewer said.
The film itself hasn't received unanimous praise. Multiple prominent reviewers (including The Telegraph India, The Hindu, and Sucharita Tyagi) point outed that while the film opens in shades of gray, it eventually stacks the emotional deck entirely in favor of the male protagonist.
Bobby Deol, in recent years, has also acted in Pawan Kalyan's Hari Hara Veera Mallu, Suriya's Kanguva, and War 2.
