Those who have experienced Titli and Agra would vouch that Kanu Behl’s cinema is not easy to watch. Always reflecting dark shades of everyday reality, the filmmaker has this knack for scratching the soul of his desperate characters struggling to cling to their little power structures and, in the process, leaves impressions on the conscience of the audience.

This week, he has painted the complex world of intrepid crime journalist Joy Bag. In love with his byline, for sex, Joy turns to women. Early in the film, during a night raid, when a constable asks Joy why he is grumpy, the officer in charge replies, “Give him a story, and his mood will lift.”

Not so loosely based on the events around the murder of seasoned crime journalist Jyotirmoy Dey, who started his career with The Afternoon Despatch & Courier, Despatch implies a lot more than what has emerged in the news pages and Hansal Mehta’s OTT series Scoop regarding the plot behind the case.

Director: Kanu Behl

Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Shahana Goswami, Arrchita Agarwal, Rii Sen

Runtime: 150 minutes

Storyline: In his bid to remain relevant, when a seasoned crime reporter digs into a murder story, he steps on a minefield.