Nibba Nibbi Review: ★★½☆☆ (2.5/5)
Nibba Nibbi has an interesting idea, a wild tone, and a terrific Sauraseni Maitra, but the messy screenplay keeps the film from becoming the gripping crime thriller it could have been. Rishav Basu’s and Maitra’s chemistry is one of the few elements that consistently works.
Rating: ★★½☆☆ (2.5/5)
Language: Bengali
Genre: Dark Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Director: Tathagata Mukherjee
Platform: ZEE5
Cast: Sauraseni Maitra, Rishav Basu
Tathagata Mukherjee’s Nibba Nibbi begins with the kind of energy that immediately makes you curious about where the story is going. The film opens with violence and chaos, setting up a dark world where its central couple seems capable of doing almost anything to survive.
The film was released on Zee5 Bangla on August 14 and follows Paro and Deva, a young couple who are constantly on the move. They are not the usual romantic leads. Guns, crime, bloodshed, and danger are part of their everyday life, and neither of them seems particularly disturbed by the violence surrounding them.
The basic story revolves around a stolen hard drive containing sensitive information about powerful people, criminals, and their hidden secrets. Once Paro and Deva get hold of it, they become targets themselves and find themselves running from people who want the information back.
This setup could have made for a tense road thriller. The film also clearly takes inspiration from the lovers-on-the-run style of crime stories, with shades of Bonnie and Clyde and a touch of the wild, unpredictable energy often associated with Quentin Tarantino’s films.
However, Nibba Nibbi struggles to hold its story together after setting up this promising premise. One incident quickly leads to another, with robberies, murders, kidnappings, and confrontations piling up. The pace remains high, but the story often feels like it is moving simply because something violent has to happen next.
Sauraseni Maitra is easily the biggest reason to watch the film. As Paro, she plays a heavily pregnant woman who can be calm one moment and terrifying the next. She carries a gun, speaks with confidence, and does not hesitate when things turn ugly.
Maitra gives the character a strong personality and makes even some of the film’s weaker scenes watchable. Her dialogue delivery has the right amount of attitude, while her screen presence gives Paro a dangerous edge. The performance feels much stronger than the material she has been given.
Rishav Basu is also effective as Deva, Paro’s partner and fellow criminal. Compared with Paro, Deva is less aggressive, which creates an interesting contrast between the two. Their chemistry works well, and their relationship is probably the most engaging part of the film.
At its heart, Nibba Nibbi is also a story about toxic love. Paro and Deva are deeply attached, but theirs is hardly a healthy relationship. Their love is surrounded by violence, fear, and crime, making them unusual versions of the classic romantic couple.
The film’s connection with Devdas is another interesting idea. Paro and Deva are clearly inspired by the famous names and emotional equation of Devdas and Paro, but Mukherjee gives the characters a very different setting and personality.
The comparison, however, has its limits. Nibba Nibbi is not Devdas in any traditional sense. Instead, it borrows the names and uses them to explore a modern relationship where destructive behaviour can sometimes be mistaken for intense romance.
The problem is that the screenplay does not always explain its characters or their motivations properly. A little backstory about how Paro and Deva met, fell in love and dealt with their painful past helps add some emotional depth, but these moments are not enough to fully connect the different pieces of the narrative.
The violence also becomes repetitive. Bloodshed, abuses, and killings are present throughout the film, and while they suit the dark tone, their constant presence eventually starts replacing the story rather than supporting it.
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There are moments when Nibba Nibbi looks like it could become a gripping crime thriller. The central idea is strong, the leads have chemistry, and Maitra gives the film a performance worth remembering. But the screenplay needed tighter writing and clearer character arcs.
In the end, Nibba Nibbi is an ambitious but uneven film. Tathagata Mukherjee has created a strange and violent world around his Devdas-inspired couple, but the messy storytelling prevents the film from reaching its full potential.
What stays with you is not the complicated crime plot, but Sauraseni Maitra’s confident performance and the chemistry she shares with Rishav Basu. They manage to carry the film through its weakest stretches, even when the story itself loses direction.