Robin Bhuyan
Released on February 28, 2025, Crazxy is a Hindi thriller directed by Girish Kohli with co-producer Sohum Shah in the lead role. The film shows us how a gripping story can be told with minimal resources, and you don’t always need to spend millions and millions to make a good and engaging film. The film revolves around Dr. Abhimanyu Sood (Sohum Shah), a highly skilled but deeply troubled surgeon whose life takes a sharp downturn after a surgery gone wrong. As a result of a legal settlement, he is required to pay ₹5 crore to the deceased patient’s family, a sum that could potentially ruin him. Just as he prepares to hand over the money, he receives a chilling phone call—his estranged daughter, Vedica, has been kidnapped, and the ransom demand is exactly ₹5 crore. This sudden twist throws Abhimanyu into a desperate situation where every decision he makes could mean life or death. What follows is a nail-biting thriller that unfolds almost entirely within the confines of a car, amplifying the tension and forcing the audience to experience the protagonist’s emotional and psychological turmoil in real time.
One of the film’s greatest strengths is its ability to hold the audience’s attention despite being set in a single location. With 90% of the film taking place inside a car, Crazxy serves as a masterclass in limited-budget filmmaking. Instead of relying on multiple locations, large-scale action, or an ensemble cast, the movie focuses solely on building tension through tight camerawork, an eerie soundtrack, and Shah’s intense performance. We don’t even get to see most of the characters, but only see them through a phone call. The sense of claustrophobia is palpable, making the audience feel just as trapped as Abhimanyu. The film’s ability to keep viewers on the edge of their seats, despite these constraints, proves that storytelling and execution matter more than budget and scale. However, the second half does slow down slightly, causing the momentum to dip. That said, the film still manages to maintain intrigue until the climax.
Films like Crazxy can remind you of other low-budget thrillers that thrive on limited settings and short timeframes. Bollywood has produced films such as Kaun and Knock Out, both of which relied on confined spaces to create suspense, where the story takes place within a span of few hours. Similarly, Hollywood has experimented with the concept in films like Exam and Circle, where the entire narrative unfolds in a restricted setting, making the tension feel suffocating. Crazxy follows this tradition, and it has proved that a strong script and an engaging lead can easily compensate for the absence of flashy visuals or extravagant set pieces. You don’t always need to spend 200 crores to keep the audiences engaged. Such films rely on the power of real-time storytelling, where every second counts, and Crazxy successfully adopts this formula.
What makes the film engaging is the lead performance by Sohum Shah. Carrying an entire film on his shoulders is no easy feat, yet he does it so convincingly. His portrayal of Dr. Abhimanyu Sood is layered—he is not just a desperate father but also a man haunted by his past choices. His performance captures a range of emotions, from panic to determination, making the audience feel every ounce of his internal struggle.
Is Crazxy Worth it?
( Mild Spoilers Ahead )
However, where Crazxy disappoints us utterly is in its ending. What begins as a gripping thriller with immense tensions and a lot of suspense eventually devolves into a preachy, manipulative climax that feels out of place. Instead of delivering a hard-hitting, satisfying resolution, the film takes an abrupt turn towards a social message about specially-abled children Yes, the intention behind this theme might be noble, but admit it – none of us wants to see this kind of a forced narrative disconnected from the thriller elements that dominated the rest of the film. The audience is left with several unanswered questions—what happened to the deceased patient’s family, what became of the ₹5 crore, and most puzzlingly, how did Vedica know about the money? These unresolved plot points weaken the film’s impact and dilute the emotional weight it had built up until that point. Unlike thrillers that leave you breathless in the final moments, Crazxy leaves you feeling underwhelmed, as if the story was hijacked by an entirely different message.
Why not just make a movie like Taare Zameen Par, if you want to make a film about this issue, instead of misguiding the audience with a fast-paced suspense thriller that had a lot of potential? The film had the potential to be a razor-sharp, tightly wound thriller, but its shift towards an unearned emotional message ultimately weakens the experience. To put Crazzy in one line- It is a near-perfect film that throws away everything in the last 10 minutes!
Rating– 5 out of 10 stars
