By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
“CRIME, COMING OF AGE, AND CHAOS COLLIDE IN “55”
Set in Mumbai,
"55" is a gritty, modern-day Oliver Twist actioner from director
Shyam P. Madiraju ("Eden") and legendary producer
Ridley Scott ("Gladiator II" and TV's "Alien Earth").
The film features a mostly unknown, talented young cast led by Rizwan Shaikh ("Citadel: Honey Bunny") as Pachpan--Hindi for "55"--an orphaned 16-year-old who dreams of something better, though life has only ever taught him how to survive. Alongside a gang of fellow street kids, Pachpan roams Mumbai's chaotic streets and train stations, expertly lifting wallets, IDs, and dreams from both the wealthy and the working class.
Their criminal exploits are part of a well-oiled operation run by the cold-blooded Sagar Bhair (played by Bollywood star Emraan Hashmi, "They Call Him OG"), a man who rules with charisma and cruelty in equal measure. Sagar demands absolute loyalty and punishes betrayal without hesitation. In one particularly brutal scene, a young boy who defies him has his hand chopped off as a warning. It's a moment that shocks Pachpan and his friends into reckoning with the true cost of their loyalty.
That reckoning deepens when Pachpan unwittingly steals a life-altering sum from a man who later takes his own life by jumping in front of a train, devastated by the shame of losing money meant for his daughter Uma's wedding. Uma, played by newcomer Dhanshree Patal ("Manoeuvre"), becomes the heart of the story's emotional shift. Her quiet strength and grace open Pachpan's eyes to a world beyond survival. What starts as guilt slowly morphs into a fragile connection that teeters between redemption and first love.
There is much to like about "55." It walks a tonal tightrope with confidence. It's part survival thriller, part coming-of-age tale, and part street-level action film. At times it hits like a punch to the gut, yet Madiraju finds room for intimacy and vulnerability, particularly in scenes between Pachpan and Uma.
The Oliver Twist parallels are unmistakable with street-smart orphans, an underworld Fagin-like figure, and a protagonist torn between loyalty and morality. However, Madiraju reimagines it in the unique pulse and grit of modern Mumbai, infusing it with urgency, style, and a distinctly Indian soul.
The direction is taut and kinetic, with Madiraju capturing the claustrophobic intensity of Mumbai's slums and transit systems with documentary-like immediacy. You can feel the heat, smell the smoke, and hear the distant rumble of city life bearing down on every decision these kids make.
As a producer, Ridley Scott's fingerprints are clearly present too. There's a grounded grandeur to the way Mumbai is rendered, both beautiful and suffocating, like a dream you're never quite awake from. The production design and score add emotional and sensory layers that elevate the film well beyond genre expectations.
What makes "55" resonate most, however, is its cast of newbies, each of whom feels as raw and real as the streets they run through. Rizwan Shaikh carries the film with a mix of streetwise swagger and aching innocence. His Pachpan is a boy forced to act like a man, yet still yearning to be seen, loved, and understood. His journey is as much about survival as it is about awakening. It's the kind that comes only when he realizes the world isn't just something to steal from, but something you can belong to, and even in the darkest places, hope can find a way in.
Editor's Note: "55" is currently available on
Video On Demand.
Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays now at 5:17 p.m. and 6:47 p.m. on radio station KFBK 93.1 FM and 1530 AM.
Watch This Trailer For
"55"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), The American Film Institute (AFI), and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.
