New Delhi, May 15 -- By the time four thugs corner SHO Pawan Malik (Saif Ali Khan) in his home, Kartavya has been simmering for an hour and 15 minutes. Threats are made; Saif folds his arms and tells them to do their worst. I was ready for him to knock them out cold, but then something interesting happens. There's a fight. It's not even close. Saif barely gets two punches in and he's overpowered. It took me a while to realise this wasn't some clever ploy on the cop's part. When's the last time an Indian film hero lost a fight?

Kartavya doesn't take the small-town cop film anywhere new. There's nothing in its view of khap panchayats or corrupt local police forces that hasn't been explored before. Still, it's hard to argue that Pulkit's fi...