Investigative Screenplay Review: Suspenseful but Weak Antagonist

When evil tries to take control, its destruction becomes necessary. With this theme, Bollywood brings you a spiritual sequel to its 2022 crime-thriller “Vadh”. Titled “Vadh 2”, this cryptic theatrical release portrays an entirely different setup and context from its prequel. It is not a continuation of its prequel and has no resemblance to it.

Although distinct, Vadh 2 presents the same lead cast of Sanjay Mishra and Neena Gupta, this time, as two emotionally connected strangers rather than a couple as in the prequel. The male supporting cast includes Akshay Dogra as the lead antagonist, Kumud Mishra as the jailer, and Amitt K. Singh as the investigative police officer. The female supporting cast comprises Yogita Bihani as a prison inmate and Shilpa Shukla as a jail warden.

Vadh 2 has been co-produced by Luv Ranjan and written and directed by Jaspal Singh Sandhu. It made its theatrical debut on February 6, 2026.

Vadh 2 (2026) Synopsis: A Justified Murder!

A romantic bond blossoms between a prison guard (Sanjay Mishra) and a female inmate serving life imprisonment on account of murder (Neena Gupta). As the film’s title goes, a murder happens, and this time, in the jail itself. How did a heinous crime take place in a secure prison environment? Wait for the mystery to unravel!

The Good:

Vadh 2 promises a highly intriguing screenplay that will bind you to your seats till the end. This ingenious crime thriller has no resemblance to its 2022 prequel, except for the lead characters played by Sanjay Mishra and Neena Gupta. In the prequel, they were spouses. But in this 2026 sequel, they play two complete strangers who are emotionally attached to each other. Neena Gupta’s character Manju Singh is serving a prison sentence on charges of murder, while Sanjay Mishra’s character Shambhunath Mishra is a prison guard.

The Hindi term “Vadh” means “murder with morality”. In this context, murder happens, but in jail. How that murder happened despite the presence of the prison security forms the core of the investigative screenplay. The narrative is impressive and will unveil the mystery step by step with an unexpected and unpredictable twist in the climax. The ending twist marvelously nails it, as it will leave you shocked. You would have least expected something like that to happen. Besides, every scene within the screenplay has clarity and relevance to the murder mystery.

A gruesome murder has occurred in a prison. The beauty of the cryptic screenplay of Vadh 2 lies in building suspense in its first half, about who the murderer can be. That will create a sense of engagement within the audience where one would keep guessing, become a little confused, and take an interest in the drama to proceed and reveal the real murderer. So, writer and director Jaspal Singh Sandhu literally plays with the minds of the audience here with his engagement tactics.

Watch Out For Sanjay Mishra and Neena Gupta In Different Avatars In Vadh 2 (2026) Official Trailer:

Sanjay Mishra and Neena Gupta have given in-depth, emotionally resonant, and remarkable performances. Although we can associate their characters with those in the prequel as they sport the same names, we can still accept that they are completely different entities here. Kumud Mishra as Jailer Prakash Singh was brilliant. His acting, dialogue delivery, and screen presence were fantastic. Amitt K. Singh, as Inspector Ateet Singh, had a strong screen presence and enthralled the audience with his investigative performance.

The beauty of this crime drama is its natural, cryptic cinematography that captures every moment with precision. There is no VFX, and it’s just simple camerawork levelled up by appropriate lighting on the sets. There are no musical tracks in this crime thriller, which will ensure a serious, tense, and steady flow of the incidents, thus keeping you engrossed.

The Bad:

Upon dissecting Vadh 2, I found certain loopholes. Firstly, even though the lead cast have given compelling performances, the makers have been a bit loose on the character buildup of Sanjay Mishra and Neena Gupta. Sanjay Mishra, being a prison guard, and Neena Gupta, a prisoner, how did they get so attached to each other? What’s their relationship? Why is he so sympathetic towards her and so eager to help her when she is serving a long-term prison sentence on charges of murder? These questions remain unanswered.

Secondly, the debuting lead antagonist in Vadh 2, Akshay Dogra, is not as impactful as the antagonist in the prequel, Saurabh Sachdeva. I mean, what a powerful villainous character Sachdeva had presented in the prequel. You would get the chills after seeing his ruffian, loathsome, and menacing attitude. Here, in this sequel, the villain seems comparatively weaker. Of course, he has been depicted as a ruthless guy killing innocent stray animals. But you would often see him being bullied by someone or the other, which makes his character weak, vulnerable, and less impactful as a dreaded villain.

Thirdly, even though the screenplay instills considerable suspense and thrill, certain loose moments within it can make it appear stretched and may induce boredom in a particular section of the audience who are not accustomed to sitting through investigative crime dramas.

Vadh 2 (2026) Dialogue Promo:

The Verdict: A Well-Executed Suspense Builder!

Vadh (2022) was a flop, although it was critically acclaimed by the audience. To be honest, I disliked Vadh (2022), considering the monstrous crime committed by Sanjay Mishra’s timid old man character in it. He was shown killing the villain (played by Saurabh Sachdeva) mercilessly, butchering the corpse to pieces in front of his wife (Neena Gupta), and ultimately burning the remains to destroy all evidence. Many in the audience loved and justified this as “murder in a moral sense”. But if you ask me, it was the most gruesome and unpardonable criminal acts ever. Sanjay Mishra’s character did not just kill the villain, but performed butchery to dismantle the corpse. For this reason, I was reluctant to watch this 2026 sequel named Vadh 2, thinking that it would be a continuation of the same incident. But thank God, this turned out to be a completely different drama with no association with its spiteful prequel.

The Vadh franchise will give you the feel of another cryptic crime thriller named “Drishyam” when you watch it. The similarity is in the “murder” concept, even though the stories of the Vadh franchise and the Drishyam franchise are completely different.

Vadh 2 (2026): Running At Your Nearest Theaters!

In Drishyam, Ajay Devgn, as a protective father, did what he had to do to save his family from the police. He tampered with evidence and disposed of the corpse when a menacing boy was accidentally killed by his family members. In Drishyam, we already know who the murderers are, but how they get entangled in the police investigation and come out of it forms part of its engaging screenplay. In the Vadh franchise films, a notorious guy gets killed every time. But under what circumstances does the “moral murder” take place, and who actually commits it, are the main suspense-builders here.

Upon watching Vadh 2 in the theater, I felt excitement, thrill, and inquisitiveness. This is a kind of puzzling and enjoyable crime-thriller meant to exercise your brain. Even though the film was considerably entertaining, I would say that it is not meant for theatrical release. People will prefer watching it once it is released on OTT.