Overall, Motwane did try to bring a rather relatable and noble topic upfront without being too preachy. However, the execution couldn’t convey the emotions of the writing completely and sloppy editing makes it a slow take-in rather than a thrilling vigilant watch.

There is much to like here – the atmospherics, Painyuli’s performance that is notches above Kapoor’s, and Motwane’s feel for noir, but his home-grown hero still falls short. Hopefully this will be a franchise, and like most superheroes, Bhavesh Joshi too will have a chance at redemption and a better future.

Motwane’s craft is indisputable. The way he sees and presents dark, rainy shadowy Mumbai hit by water woes; the way he keeps alternating between the real and fantastical. Then there’s a mind-bending bike chase across the city and its local trains. Motwane’s superhero is a vulnerable common man. He isn’t endowed with any superhuman powers, gets easily battered and brusied, could well do with the help of a karate champ and instructor next door. He isn’t invincible, his mask could well fall easily.

The story’s real superhero isn’t Harshvadhan Kapoor’s dull Sikandar, but Priyanshu Painyuli’s passionate Bhavesh. Painyuli plays Bhavesh with real feeling, and the exact moment of the film’s descent can be pinpointed to the moment when his character cedes ground to Sikandar. The myth takes over the man, but Painyuli ensures that the man matters too.