Nikhil Nagesh Bhat exudes the serenity of a sage.

In promotions for his new film Kill, released on Friday, he speaks in measured tones about how inspiration came from his own train travel, how he wrote the script through the pandemic and somehow converted the claustrophobia of the lockdowns into a riveting action film propelled by close-quarters combat.

He speaks of how the 77 days of shooting were preceded by nine months of prep in which the actors playing the dacoits were trained in a very specific choreography of killing. Their moves had to look unrehearsed when compared with those of the protagonist Amrit, a highly trained commando (played by the debutant Lakshya).

Nikhil’s demeanour is in sharp contrast to the mood of the movie he has made. Kill is a first-of-its-kind action film for India. The violence is extreme. In one scene, a man’s head is smashed to a pulp with a fire extinguisher. In another, a man’s head is set on fire and he runs around like a human torch, trying somehow to extinguish it. Damage is done to flesh and bone in new and creative ways.

According to co-producer Guneet Monga, there are 42 “unique killings” in the film, and 140 litres of fake blood were used during the shoot. The viciousness on display is so horrific that in one scene, the villain, Fani, a psychotic dacoit played by Raghav Juyal, asks: “Aise kaun maarta hai, bey? (Who kills like this, man?)”

I asked Nikhil what he tapped into, to create such relentless brutality. “I grew up in Patna in the ’80s,” he said. “Bihar was a lawless state then. I have seen crime all around.”

The violence also comes from personal angst, he added. “I made a film called Saluun in 2008. It was a dark comedy that never got released. It plunged me into eight years of no work. It was a very difficult time. My wife and family were supporting me. Everybody around me was doing well and I felt that there was no opportunity for me to prove myself. I used to have ₹500 in my account. In a sense, I’m working out all that angst in Kill.”

The miracle is that Nikhil, who has also written the film, is able to root the mayhem in authentic emotion. This is an action film with fleshed-out characters and nuance.

I even found myself sympathising with the bad guys. After all, they might just have snatched the cellphones and gold chains and stepped off at the next station, if Amrit and his buddy hadn’t interrupted them.

These two are on the train because Amrit’s girlfriend Tulika (played by Tanya Maniktala) and her family are on it. She has been forcibly engaged and is now returning home. In the quiet before the storm, Amrit proposes to her in a train bathroom.

Kill is that rare thing: A gory action film imbued with emotion, that delivers a raw, visceral, thrilling ride, even for squeamish viewers like me.

The film premiered in September at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it was runner-up for the People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award. It has since travelled the world, with screenings at the Busan festival in South Korea and the Tribeca Festival in New York. It was picked up for US distribution by Lionsgate and has been released across 1,000 screens there, a large number for an Indian film with new actors.

The icing on the cake is that Lionsgate has announced a remake. Among the producers of the English-language version is Chad Stahelski, director of the John Wick series.

Like the recently released Kalki 2898 AD, Kill is a step forward for Indian cinema. Now that he’s “tasted blood — literally,” Nikhil tells me, “my next one is also action, but very different. It’s an emotional revenge story.”

I am both afraid and eager to see it.

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