Costao Review: Nawazuddin Siddiqui plays a larger-than-life hero most realistically and there's nothing to complain

Plot

Costao is based on the life of an honest and courageous customs officer, Costao Fernandes, hailing from Goa in the 90s. During an attempt to stop the landing of 1500kg of illegal gold in Goa, Costao ends up killing Peter (Hussain Dalal), the brother of the smuggler, D'Mello (Kishore Kumar G), in self-defense. This puts him and his family's lives in danger while he also finds himself in a legal tussle. Nawazuddin Siddiqui plays the lead character, who faced great challenges, including life threats, during his attempt to expose powerful gold smugglers in the state.

What works in favor of Costao?

Costao is a sincere attempt to narrate the story of an unsung hero to the Hindi film audience. Every frame of the movie has conviction written over it and the most beautiful part is that it does that without looking pretentious. The story is naturally heroic, which makes you root for the character despite the lack of chest-thumping dialogues. Having said that, there are a few dialogues that effortlessly portray the bravery and strong personality of Costao. 

The screenplay manages to hook you without getting involved in the usual trappings of a commercial film. The characters are realistically written and it only helps you feel more attached to the story. The narrative is crisp and consistent if you can avoid a few dull moments in the middle of the film. The duration of the film, which is less than 2 hours, helps to make it a gripping tale.

What doesn't work in favor of Costao?

Costao takes a risk of being authentic to its story and characters. As far as the execution is concerned, there's no issue because the film achieves what it intends to. But for an average film lover who expects more drama, music, and entertainment in the biographical movie of a real-life hero, the idea of authenticity could be disappointing. But again, it's not releasing in the cinemas, so any loss whatsoever on that part seems covered. 

Watch the Costao Trailer

Performances and Direction

Nawazuddin Siddiqui proves yet again why he is one of the most talented actors in Bollywood. He plays the challenging character with utmost conviction. With his great emotional range, the actor exhibits all the emotions with brilliance. Note him in the scenes where he has to present strength and weakness at the same time. Watch out for the confrontation scene between him and D'Mello. Nawaz is consistently good, but these are the moments where it's impossible for you not to appreciate him.

Gagan Dev Riar shines as CBI officer Narang. The way he takes care of all the nuances of his character and makes sure it stays with the audience for a long time makes you applaud him. Priya Bapat as Maria Fernandes, Hussain Dalal as Peter D'Mello, and Kishore Kumar G as D'Mello perform well. 

Sejal Shah, who has earlier worked as a cinematographer for films like Bodyguard, Kaali Khuhi, and more, leaves a strong impact with his directorial debut. It's commendable that not even a single scene makes you feel that he is a first-time director. 

Final Verdict

Overall, Costao is one of the rare Hindi OTT delights these days. If you have been feeling disappointed lately with the lack of new and original good OTT films, do yourself a favor and watch it. Costao will start streaming on Zee5 from May 1, 2025.

ALSO READ: Costao: DYK Nawazuddin Siddiqui swam in lake full of crocodiles? Director reveals why he insisted on doing it despite not being great swimmer