Batla House, John Abraham
Batla House still featuring John AbrahamTwitter

As India celebrates its 73rd Independence Day today, John Abraham is back on the silver screen with a treat called Batla House which had been making the right noise ever since it was announced. However, it has received mixed response from critics on the day of its release.

Most of the critics found Batla House not reaching up to their expectations because of the film's narrative and were of the opinion that the film didn't serve its purpose. However, they praised the film for being entertaining and keeping the audience hooked to their seats in this high action drama.

Performances from lead actors John Abraham, Mrunal Thakur, Ravi Kishan and others have undoubtedly helped the film sail through all its shortcomings.

Inspired by the Operation Batla House, which took place in 2008 against Indian Mujahideen terrorists in Batla House locality in Jamia Nagar, Delhi, Batla House traces the story of the shootout between a seven-member Delhi Police Special Cell team and suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorists allegedly involved in the serial blasts of September 13, 2008, in Delhi. The film is directed by Nikkhil Advani and produced by Bhushan Kumar.

While Akshay Kumar's Mission Mangal has also released on the same day sharing the screens with Batla House across the country, take a look what critics and audience have to say about Batla House.

The Indian Express: "Abraham is strictly one-note, which may be how dour cops are meant to come off, but it becomes same-same in a screenplay stretched to show off a well-muscled chest. Thakur who displayed a pleasing perkiness in Super 30, is at sea here. Chaudhary as a top cop comes off better. And Kishan, who livens up the film every time he comes on, is dispensed with much too soon."

Rating: 1.5 Stars

Hindustan Times: "In a powerful melodramatic motif, Abraham keeps rubbing his medal of honour, imagining that is it blood-stained, a la Lady Macbeth. At one point he asks the court if there has ever been another police encounter where an Inspector has been shot — a tacit suggestion that other encounters without slain cops could well have been staged. His legal defence intriguingly includes the phrase "binary opposition," but doesn't delve deeper than a mention. I wish they'd have rubbed harder."

Rating: 2 Stars

Network 18: "Batla House has ingredients to keep you engaged for more than 140 minutes, provided which side are you on—activists who still smell a foul play or police that claims to have not heard of anything substantial from Indian Mujahideen after that September encounter!"

Rating: 3 Stars

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