One of the key aspects of a single-character story remains the rhythm of the screenplay. And the writing here remains the strong point while doubling up as a fascinating character exploration. The journey of crazxy is indeed crazy while being internal for Abhimanyu as much as external. To begin with, you are acquainted with the hyper masculine side of Abhimanyu who is implied to be a fan of Bachchan from his angry young man era. In an early scene, you see him going after a biker (who had flicked his middle finger randomly) in a pacy chase sequence that builds on the ego of the protagonist, only for his ego to calm down after overtaking the biker and flicking his middle finger in return. The ego tussle of the protagonist doesn’t end there – you see him dismissing a cop over the phone after the latter supposedly fails to track his stolen mobile, a scene that showcases his might and power. In that regard, the events that transpire post the fateful phone call of the kidnapper remains a deconstruction of his ego and stature.

There are finer details that contribute to the pulpy nature in the drama. Firstly, the Mahabharat reference of the character of Abhimanyu (also the name of the protagonist here) cannot be denied. The entire sequence of events has him trapped in a labyrinth of sorts with no way to go. And while the mythological references are restricted to the name of the character, the pulpiness emerges from the fleeting moments – the caller tune of the kidnapper is an Amitabh Bachchan dialogue from Sarkar (2005), a quintessential Bollywood sad song plays out as the caller tune of the protagonist’s ex, with whom he shares a thorny and distrustful relationship, and at a later point in the drama, the song ‘Abhimanyu’ plays out from Inquilab (1984) which again was a Bachchan film. The lesser slangs also contribute to the pulpy characters in the drama – white coat is the doctor and Abhimanyu’s boss, black coat is Abhimanyu’s lawyer who is associated with him for an out of court settlement involving an incident at the hospital that is implied, while never cutting away to a flashback.

There are a series of phone-calls that define the fabric of storytelling here, as well as highlighting the equation of Abhimanyu with the people in his life. For instance, his relationship with his ex-wife is a thorny affair while reaching a dead end after having a baby suffering from Down Syndrome. Elsewhere Abhimanyu shares a playful vibe with his ‘Jaan’, who it is implied to have been the final nail in the coffin as far as his ex was concerned. Yet, both these dynamics are explored in contrasting fashions after the ransom call – Abhimanyu’s ex pleads with him to give the 5 crore ransom in exchange of their daughter citing that she doesn’t have any money to herself, while his ‘Jaan’ sows seeds of distrust in him while fuelling a conspiracy that makes Abhimanyu question the pawns around him. There is sufficient intrigue created even with a little timeline in place, even as the drama follows a real-time trajectory (the film is 90 odd minutes long, the exact same time that Abhimanyu takes to reach his destination).

At a point in the film, I did feel that the reveal of the kidnapper at the halfway mark was a plot-point too soon, that transformed the drama from a whodunnit to a whydunnit. Yet, I liked how the stakes in the drama at heightened to an absolute crescendo at one point. In a 10 minute sequence, Abhimanyu on a wild goosechase encounters the Murphy’s Law that suggests that everything that can go wrong will go wrong. And wrong it does for Abhimanyu being randomly stuck with a flat tyre while having to juggle between phone calls – one guiding his junior during a critical life-threatening surgery and the other, the kidnapper who jostles between inquiring about his whereabouts while having to deal with Abhimanyu’s ailing daughter. The twists and turns in that scene typically has a three act structure right there, with each obstacle acting as a distraction for Abhimanyu who suddenly finds himself on a multi-tasking spree! And all of it acts as a deconstruction of ego on the part of the protagonist who has till then been a villain in his own life. So from wanting his ‘ailing’ daughter to be aborted before being born, to having to take the trouble of juggling multiple phone-calls with the timer ticking in the background, the episode acts as a journey of self-realisation and desperation.

There is a searing line in the English film The Brutalist (2024) which states that it is not about the journey, it is the destination. But as far as Crazxy is concerned, the arc is the exact opposite. The only portion where the film falters is in its final reveal, its destination that felt like a DNA from another film. It almost felt like an anti-climax of sorts with an idea that is far-fetched and not quite fitting into the world, organically. That said, the journey and the writing that takes the protagonist to finishing line is what actually makes the drama special. Not only does it allow us to acquaint with the protagonist and his flaws, but also makes for an emotional investment in his journey. It is just that the final payoff remains insipid while reminding me of the ludicrous twists in the films of M Night Shyamalan, in an otherwise well written screenplay that makes for a tense watch.