You guys must have seen the buzz around the new Netflix movie, Accused, starring Konkona Sen Sharma and Pratibha Ranta. Directed by Anubhuti Kashyap, the film dropped today, and the early reactions are coming in thick and fast.
It’s a pretty bold story: a London-based doctor finds her perfect life falling apart when she’s accused of sexual misconduct. What makes it different is that it’s a gender-flipped #MeToo drama involving a queer couple, which isn’t something we see every day in mainstream cinema.
The acting is definitely the highlight here. Most people agree that Konkona Sen Sharma is brilliant as usual, playing a character who is hard to read and potentially a bit of a villain. Pratibha Ranta, whom we just saw in Laapataa Ladies, also gets a lot of love for being the emotional heart of the movie as the partner who starts to have serious doubts.
Viewers are also cheering for the fact that the movie treats a queer relationship as totally normal, rather than making the struggle of being gay the main point of the plot.
However, you aren’t wrong if you’ve heard that the reviews are leaning negative in some circles. While the acting is top-tier, the movie itself is getting some heat for being a slow-burning movie that’s actually just a bit boring.
A lot of critics feel the story is stretched too thin and doesn’t have the “wow” moments or twists you’d expect from a psychological thriller. Instead of being a gripping mystery, it often feels like a slow courtroom drama that never really gets to the point, leading to an ending that many found pretty underwhelming.
There’s also been some complaining about the technical side of things. For a big-budget production, some parts feel surprisingly unpolished. Critics have pointed out that the British supporting actors feel like caricatures and the accents are all over the place, which can really pull you out of the story.
At the end of the day, Accused seems like a movie that tries to be very deep and grey, but ends up feeling a bit distant and cold. If you’re a die-hard Konkona fan, you’ll probably find something to love in her performance. But if you’re looking for a fast-paced thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat, this one might feel like a bit of a slog. It’s definitely a conversation starter, but maybe not for the reasons the filmmakers hoped. Stay tuned for more updates.