New Delhi, June 5 -- I'm not proud of it, but I don't always make it through the end credits in screenings, especially when it's Friday morning and reviews have to be filed. I did, however, watch the entire credits roll in Bandar, and was glad I stuck around. Tucked away towards the end, there's a research credit and special thanks for Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj, a prominent men's rights activist. I was surprised, but it also made complete sense.

Bandar is Anurag Kashyap's most focused and cogent film in years. For the first time since Mukkabaaz (2017), it feels like he really needs to get something off his chest. This turns out to be: Section 376, the portion of the Indian Penal Code that concerns rape and its punishment, is broken. In a ...