Licence (2026): Masoom Sharma s lifts key stretches, not the full runtime
The opening frames establish a dusty, unforgiving Haryanvi landscape where every glance carries weight. Masoom Sharma enters as Satta/Anoop with a stillness that suggests violence is always one breath away.
ABPLive’s review snippet gets it right, he owns the screen. There’s a coiled physicality to his performance that makes even quiet moments feel dangerous, and the dual role designation hints at a performer willing to stretch beyond easy archetypes.
Ranjeet Chauhan Directs With Economy, But Gaps Remain
Chauhan’s direction keeps the 1h 58m runtime tight, refusing to let scenes overstay their welcome. The energetic presentation flagged in the review headline suggests a filmmaker confident in his lead’s ability to carry momentum.
Yet without verified scene-level coverage, the screenplay’s connective tissue remains a question mark. The structure feels performance-driven rather than plot-driven, which serves Sharma but leaves the narrative mechanics under-examined.
Crime-Drama Craft: Regional Realism Over Spectacle
The Haryanavi setting is not decoration, it’s the operating system. Every character, from Yashpal Sharma’s Dev Parkash to Sunil Chitkara’s Jai Bhagwan, speaks in a dialect that roots the crime world in recognizable soil. The UA16+ certificate signals a willingness to show consequences without tipping into gratuitous violence.
The compact runtime works in the film’s favor. At under two hours, Licence avoids the bloat that plagues many regional crime dramas, keeping its conflict tight and its stakes personal. The ensemble casting of character actors like Abhimanyu Yadav and Rajkumar Dhankhad suggests a world populated by recognizable faces rather than props.
What’s missing is verifiable set-piece coverage. The genre demands at least one confrontation that redefines the audience’s relationship with the protagonist, and while the materials suggest such moments exist, their execution remains unconfirmed. The mass-appeal emphasis from the ABPLive headline hints at crowd-pleasing beats, but specifics stay elusive.
Supporting Cast: Familiar Faces, Unverified Depths
Yashpal Sharma brings decades of character-actor credibility to Dev Parkash. His casting alone signals a production serious about grounding its conflicts in lived experience rather than cardboard villainy.
Rakhi Lohchab holds the female lead opposite Sharma’s intensity. The dynamic between them, presumably the emotional anchor amid the crime, remains under-documented, but Lohchab’s track record in regional cinema suggests she’s not merely decorative. The broader ensemble, including Kulbir Danoda’s “KD Rock” and Manish Phool Kumar’s “Motta, ” points to a deliberate texture of regional authenticity.
Audience Reception and the Box Office Reality
The film’s UK opening gross of $10, 863, per Box Office Mojo, reflects a modest international footprint. This is not a crossover event, it’s a regional production playing to its core audience, and there’s integrity in that positioning.
Audience sentiment clusters around Sharma’s performance and the dialect-specific appeal. For viewers who grew up with Haryanavi cinema, this is appointment viewing; for outsiders, it’s a cultural immersion that demands patience with subtitles and unfamiliar rhythms.
If you’re exploring more regional storytelling, our Hindi film reviews offer a wider window into this space.
Licence doesn’t pretend to be anything other than what it is: a compact, performance-heavy crime drama built around a star turn. Sharma delivers the goods, and Chauhan keeps the train on the rails. The lack of verified critical depth means I’m cautious about declaring it essential viewing, but for fans of the genre and the lead, it’s a solid 118 minutes.
For a sharper look at family dynamics under pressure, Chaos Diwali review explores similar emotional terrain.
Licence earns a guarded 3 out of 5, worth your time for Sharma’s commanding presence, but don’t expect narrative surprises you haven’t seen before. For a more compact take on familial bonds, Itlu Kanmani verdict delivers a tighter emotional arc.
Ankit Jaiswal is the Chief Author, covering Indian cinema and OTT releases with honest, no-filler criticism. An SEO strategist by background, he brings a research-driven approach to film writing, cutting through hype to tell you exactly what's worth your time.
