The first few minutes of the film gives you a sneak peak of North Indian culture, real estate wheeler-dealers, gender-bias, sibling rivalry, and more.

First-time director Shanker Raman (cinematographer of ‘Peepli Live’, ‘Rocky Handsome’), clearly influenced by the neo-noir films of Anurag Kashyap, has helmed the quizzically titled Gurgaon – showcasing its fanciful malls, buzzing pubs, and towering skyscrapers – with more than a few subtle analogies to the iconic ‘Godfather’. A family sitting down for dinner discussing business strategies, the patriarch mumbling in a way only the Don could – having given his adopted child the best possible education, is the backdrop for this film with sinister and dark undertones – with the viewer not knowing where the next shot would come from.

Kehri Singh (Pankaj Tripathi – ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’, ‘Omkara’) who’s just been elected President of Gurgaon Rotary Club, is a real estate tycoon with a son Nikki (Akshay Oberoi), wife (Shalini Vatsa), and an adopted daughter Preet (Ragini Khanna) – whom he’s given a foreign education and who has set her heart on developing a world-class township. Only problem- sibling Nikki wishes to set up a world-class gym. The father supports the daughter, which Nikki resents – especially as he’s just lost a huge cricket bet. Nikki, with any number of goons at his disposal, kidnaps a family member to pay back his outstandings. The plan misfires, setting in motion various incidents and exorcising the demons of the patriarch’s past.

Director Raman is impressive, and the cinematography by Vivek Shah is good. Akshay Oberoi does his best and Tripathi, who is rapidly emerging as one of the most talented and dependable character actors in Hindi cinema, is excellent. The background score is average at best, and some of the songs are barely justified. Ragini Khanna’s character as the adopted daughter is not fully fleshed out. With overt brand endorsements, Gurgaon is guilty of more than a few disjointed flashbacks.