Afwaah (2023)

Afwaah (transl. Rumour) is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language mystery thriller film written and directed by Sudhir Mishra.[2] Produced by Anubhav Sinha and Bhushan Kumar under their respective banners Benaras Media Works and T-Series Films, the film stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bhumi Pednekar and Taapsee Pannu.[3][4] The film was released on 5 May 2023.

Rahab – a top advertising professional and Nivi – a political heiress, find no place to hide as they get entangled in a vicious rumour created by the social media machinery. Afwaah Generally received positive responses from critics Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV praise the film and gave it four out of five stars, he describes Afwaah as an indictment of politics that thrives on building divides amongst communities. While its blows aren’t always stinging, the film chooses its targets and sides wisely, and it isn’t afraid to go all-in on its hatred for forces that thrive in troubled waters. The film is positioned as being based on a real-life incidents, while the reliability of the statistics shown are not backed by any real evidence. [11] Anna MM Vetticad of Firstpost gave 3.5 stars out 5, and she stated that This film is about how a resourceful individual or group may spread a lie like wildfire on social media, exploiting the public’s confirmation bias towards the underprivileged – religious minorities, women, anybody – until that deception is accepted as the truth. Afwaah is riveting cinema. Riveting and incredibly relevant.[12] Subhash K. Jha praised the film and write in revies that Sudhir Mishra’s long-awaited new thriller Afwaah is a daring new thriller. It appears to be one of Mishra’s most fascinating works to date. “It emphasises current issues, but there is [a] core of universality in the storytelling, in the structuring, where characters are caught in a situation created by a rumour.”[13] Mayank Shekhar of Mid-Day gave 3.5 stars out of 5, he wrote that The 124-minute picture that follows is so intent on becoming a thriller that there is little, if any, room to stage a gripping drama between the leads, or any other characters.