‘No one ever plans for the poor,” says a young police officer in this tense, painful pandemic drama from India. Shot in black and white, it’s set firstly of the government-imposed lockdown in May 2020 that led to the exodus of 10 million migrant employees from India’s cities. The police officer has been put in command of a rural roadblock to cease poor employees returning to their households and villages – stopping the unfold of the virus. But realising that no assistance is arriving, the gang, feeling hungry and deserted, get offended. The outcomes are explosive, exposing the fault traces of caste prejudice and sophistication battle.

The officer Surya (Rajkummar Rao), is himself from a lower-caste household, however he’s climbing the ladder; he’s a reliable, respectable cop who refuses kickbacks or bribes (simply what a contemporary police drive wants). Still, his boss by no means lets him neglect his place, and we see how Surya has internalised prejudice too. All of society turns up at his checkpoint. A wealthy upper-caste lady (Dia Mirza) waltzes over accompanied by her driver, absolutely anticipating to sail by means of. A younger lady who labored as a maid within the metropolis dangers her life to get her alcoholic father dwelling to their village. There’s an aged safety guard travelling on a bus; then a movie crew arrives from a TV information channel.

Taking a scalpel to the caste system, director Anubhav Sinha exposes how sub-castes and different divisions stamp out solidarity. Everyone at this checkpoint is blaming one another. A Hindu man rants at a Muslim man, accusing Muslims of spreading the virus. The state of affairs is sort of a petrol spill – ready for a match to be lit. Though when it occurs, disappointingly, after a lot advanced, robust drama, it goes off with extra of a fizzle than a bang.

• Bheed is launched in cinemas on 24 March.