It was obvious when Rahul Nath released Foreign that he wanted to make movies that will take his audience to deep and dark areas of his storytelling. With Compromise, not only has he stepped his game up, but he has jumped from one side of the map to the other, and this jump has proven to be huge and magnificent Compromise tells the story of Karthtik (Rahul Nath), Shalini (Layla Alizada) and Ameet (Pritesh Shah), three siblings who have little unity but are all facing individual harsh circumstances. The story opens with Ameet, who has recently been released from jail. It becomes apparent that no one in the family has gone to see him while he served his time and he makes it very evident of his feelings towards his family , more so towards his elder brother Karthtik, who is trying his best to please his younger brother . A revelation of the past history indicates that the mother has passed away and the father is absent from their lives, so as a result Karthtik has taken the role as the parent, and is working every hour to keep the family supported. To help him deal with the troubled circumstances he faces, Karthtik is given moral support by a family friend, Jagat (Laksh Singh) who tries to put as much light in his dark life, by bringing humor at any opportunity Shalini who is the middle of the three and the only girl has resulted to prostitution to make ends meet. She has a regular client Larry, (Ethan Flower) who she sleeps with .As luck would have it, Shalini’s prostitution has become common knowledge to everyone in society (other than her own family), including the typical bitchy women Shanta (Rashmi Rustagi) and Kamini, (Mona Sishodia) who take any opportunity to speak ill of Shalini. To make matters worse, Shalini runs into her old flame, Rishi, (Baldeep Singh) who happens to be the son of Shanta. Recovering from the insult and embarrassment she has faced, Shalini returns home to deal with the return of Ameet. In a volatile argument, Ameet attacks Shalini and Karthtik steps in and warns Ameet that he will throw him out if ever steps out of line Feeling at fault, Shalini is told by Karthtik to find out what led Ameet to jail, while Karthtik returns to his job of ‘waiting tables’. It is then revealed that Karthtik is actually a dancer and he makes his money by dancing at events and special occasions. At the particular event that night, he is propositioned by a man called Anup (Bahram Khosraviani) to sleep with him for ‘extra’ cash. Confused on what to do Karthtik goes as his need for the money is desperate, but during the lead up of the sexual act, he stops Anup as he realizes that what he is doing is completely wrong. As he tries to escape, Anup rapes and abuses him.

Meanwhile back at home, Ameet has begun his story on what happened the day he was sent to jail. Shalini listens attentively, in the hope that her brother will tell the truth. Ameet claims that Carlos (Steven Navarro) took him for an interview and ended up raping him, however the reality is that Ameet stabbed Carlos to rob the money that they were stealing together and to escape any sort of charges, mutilated himself in the process. Shalini, not sure what to make of the story, threatens Ameet to get his story straight before he tells anyone else. Karthtik returns home after his abuse and finds a gun in Ameet's room, while Ameet is sleeping. Desperately trying to find reasoning for the discovery; he is distracted by Shalini who is outside shouting on the street. In a glimmer of hope, Shalini comforts Karthtik and tells him that he does not need to worry about her, but as they walk back inside, he discovers that she has been prostituting herself. All ends in hell as a loud gunshot is heard from inside and Karthik is left standing and Shalini runs in to find out what has happened It is ironic that a title like ‘Compromise’ is given to such a movie where no compromise has been made. What makes the movie work as a whole is the acting. The ensemble should all stand high and proud with the efforts that they have displayed. With some the applause is much stronger, however for those who have been overshadowed, being overshadowed in a movie of this level is still worthy of great respect.

The supporting cast are exceptionally strong with credit to each and every support that has been provided, however the stands out without a doubt are Steven Navarro and Bahram Khosraviani, who both play negative characters, but remain with a positive impact as you leave the theater. For Navarro, he manages to remain in your mind even with the 2 minute appearance he may have, his dialogue delivery and actions are spot on and if ever a Latino criminal is needed (on screen that is), he is your man. Khosraviani plays filth with a capital F and easily will be remembered as one of the best performances of the movie. His scenes are intense, yet he plays the disgust factor with the utmost ease. He looks great, and we know that something bad is about to happen as soon as he enters the movie Laksh Singh provides great comedy at different intervals, but his timing is more to perfection in the latter half of the movie. Ethan Flower is great as Larry, and delivers well. Rustagi and Sishodia, provide great initial comedy, and end it with a perfect spiteful vengeance at the end of their scene. Though Rustagi has the most to say, Sishodia is the one to watch. She has perfect reactions and is comical even without dialogue. Baldeep Singh brings charm and kindness to his character and portrays the lost romance factor very well For the leads Layla Alizada, can firmly place this as one of her most exposed and finest performances. She delivers with excellence and has some meaty dialogues to dish out. This is a great example of making the most of what you have in a movie. She is at best in her scene with Rishi, attempting to hide her emotions and when she attacks Karthtik, venting all her abuse at her brother. She is powerful, strong and yet we do not see her crack until the end when her discovery is made. And at that end, she solidifies her performance. A tough and challenging role for the character of Ameet, Pritesh Shah shows great potential and becomes more interesting as the movie progresses. He is slightly faint in the initial scenes and then becomes potent as his character develops. With no hesitation, this is one credit that he should surely be proud of and an achievement he can hold for years to come Technically the film shines at the editing level, which has tied the story together extremely well. The scene of Ameet reciting the incident to his sister, coupled with the rape of Karthtik, is an award moment for Beth McMillan. Background score by Noah Potter is outstanding as he captures the pure essence of Indian storytelling and pushes to a Bollywood style with the help of vocals by Madhu Bhide, who excels in her contribution And now to the master of the ship: Rahul Nath. Performance wise it would be difficult to critique him. He has delivered once again when it comes to drama, but this time round, instead of the loud and powerful dialogues, he is emasculated and calm, even with the tragedy that happens with his character. His standout scene is his return, post rape and he then shines till the end. His chemistry with the other leads and the supporting actors he is pitted against is strong and again he rides the drama wave without crashing at any point. For him Compromise will be the leap from one form of drama to another However the surprise this time round is the direction. It is etched out so well that the movie grips you, no matter how many stories we are being served. There is a fear that a movie with ten characters and multiple sub stories may get lost on its travel, however on this journey you are set to go and in true Rahul Nath style, you will not know what to expect. A huge leap from his last release, Compromise manages to showcase all the actors with great importance, but also allows you to remember the several issues it wants to get across. We remember the struggles of this parentless family, we remember the tension seen in a struggling family and more importantly we remember the sacrifices made by each individual be it for love, survival or greed

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