Mrigaya: The Hunt (2025) [Film Review] — A Stylish Neo-Western Bengali Cop Thriller

Abhirup Ghosh’s Mrigaya: The Hunt is a loud, stylish entry in the Bengali neo-Western / buddy-cop genre that prioritises momentum and texture over airtight logic. Clocking in as a commercial entertainer, the film trades subtlety for punchy set-pieces, memorable antagonism and a buddy dynamic that keeps the adrenaline flowing. If you’re after a glossy, macho chase through the underbelly of Sonagachi rather than a forensic puzzle, Mrigaya largely delivers.

Overview

What the film promises and who it will please

Mrigaya opens with a brutal discovery — the body of a Sonagachi sex worker — and quickly converts grief into a city-wide hunt. The narrative thrust is straightforward: a lone-wolf cop with uncanny instincts is paired with a razor-smart superior, and together they lock horns with a vicious gang leader. The film’s strongest card is its commitment to being exactly what it advertises: a high-voltage action thriller with occasional comic relief and larger-than-life heroics.

Plot & Tone

A lean premise that favours momentum over mystery

The plot is lean and functional. From the grim inciting incident, the screenplay (Aritra Banerjee, Debasis Datta, Soumit Deb) hurtles through interrogations, set pieces and confrontations. The film borrows neo-Western tropes — moral ambiguity, frontier justice and stylised violence — but transplants them to urban Kolkata with mixed results. Logic sometimes takes a back seat (our hero’s “detective instincts” verge on the supernatural), yet the film sustains interest through pace and visual bravado rather than procedural rigor.

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Performances

Strong antagonism, charismatic heroism and reliable comic ballast

Vikram Chatterjee anchors the film as the grim, lone-wolf cop. He brings enough gravitas and screen magnetism to sell the more implausible aspects of his character, making the audience willingly suspend disbelief. Saurav Das is the film’s revelation as the feral Bhediya leader — terrifying in his economy and charged by a backstory steeped in caste trauma and tribal resentment. Ritwick Chakraborty provides steady comic relief as the officer-in-charge, his timing keeping the tone from tipping into relentless dourness. Anirban Chakrabarti and Rezwan Rabbani Sheikh add layers to the supporting ensemble, while Priyanka Sarkar makes a brief but affecting impression in a pivotal role. Newcomer Ananya Bhattacharya injects glamour, but her character remains underwritten.

Direction & Action Design

Slick choreography and confident visuals, occasionally hollow emotional stakes

Abhirup Ghosh directs with swagger. The action choreography is slick and imaginative — stylised sequences that emphasise silhouette and impact more than gore. The audio-visual design often sings: close frames, sudden cuts and a colour palette that favours grit and neon. Yet, the emotional stakes sometimes feel thin; the film excels at spectacle but less so at making you care about its characters beyond their archetypal roles.

Music & Missteps

A capable, if inconsistent soundtrack — and an unfortunate item number

The score generally supports the film’s tempo without ever overwhelming it, though a few musical choices feel jarringly placed. The most conspicuous misstep is an item song featuring Susmita Chatterjee: poorly integrated, awkwardly choreographed and narratively redundant. Instead of enhancing the film’s energy, it reads as tokenistic and distracts from the storytelling. Small but telling choices like this keep the film from feeling fully cohesive.

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Final Verdict

For fans of bold, pulpy cop thrillers — play it loud

Mrigaya: The Hunt is unapologetically commercial, thriving on bravado, tight pacing and memorable villainy. It doesn’t aim to be subtle and rarely bothers with strict plausibility, but when it leans into its strengths — visceral action, a chilling antagonist and crackling buddy dynamics — it’s an entertaining ride. If you favour character-driven realism, you may bristle at the looseness of its logic. But if vivid set-pieces, charismatic leads and a raw, pulpy aesthetic are your thing, Mrigaya rewards with a satisfying, if imperfect, thrill.

Overall Rating - 6.5/10