Exploring Friendship and Mystery in Pune Highway

A Gripping Tale of Friendship and Crime

Years ago, three friends witnessed a violent incident involving their companion. Now, they face a new challenge: the tragic death of a young woman, the daughter of a powerful politician. Mona (played by Ketaki Narayan) is connected to Pramod (Amit Sadh), Vishnu (Jim Sarbh), and Nicky (Anuvab Pal), prompting them to seek justice for her murder.

The film Pune Highway shares its name and theme of friendship tested by trials with the acclaimed play by Rahul D’Cunha. Written and directed by D’Cunha and Bhargava “Bugs” Krishna, this Hindi film unfolds as a classic murder mystery, where past events cast shadows on the present.

Each character carries a complex backstory, shaped by their long-standing friendship. The screenplay suggests that their close bond has led to a blindness towards each other's flaws and secrets. Inspector Pethe (Sudeep Modak) faces a challenging investigation, with a stream of potential suspects, including Vishnu’s ex-wife (Manjiri Phadnis) and Nicholas, who has a habit of documenting everything he observes.

The narrative of the 121-minute film maintains a steady pace until the unnecessarily prolonged climax. Among the cast, Jim Sarbh and Amit Sadh stand out, with Sarbh effectively portraying Vishnu’s internal struggles. Anuvab Pal’s character, Nicholas, embodies the type of intrusive individual women are cautioned against, yet he is often played for laughs.

While Pune Highway does a fair job of building suspense around the identity and motives of the killer, it falls short in developing characters that fully engage the audience. The film sometimes overlooks Nicholas’s unsettling behavior and presents Mona in a stereotypical manner.