- Director: Sejal Shah
- Star Cast: Priya Bapat, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, & Others
- Costao Movie Review Rating: 4 stars
- Runtime: 2 hour 4 minutes
- Available On: Zee 5
- Language: Hindi
- Watch or Not?: Definitely Yes!
- What’s Bad: Nothing worthy enough to be pointed out or discussed
- What’s Good: Nawazuddin Siddiqui Headlining this film
Just like 24-carat gold is admired for its purity but lacks practicality due to its softness, some individuals, despite their immense worth, struggle because they lack adaptability.
Costao Fernandes is one of them. Sejal Shah, through her thoughtful direction, infuses just the right amount of realism and complexity, turning the narrative into a solid 22-carat gold tale that feels both grounded and extraordinary.
Gold isn’t classified as good or bad, it holds its worth regardless. This film is just like that. It’s so powerful in its storytelling that any minor flaws feel irrelevant. Based on a true story, the movie traces the life of a Navy Customs Officer who took a bold stand against gold smuggling in Goa.
Driven by a tip from his informer, Costao Fernandes took matters into his own hands to halt the smuggling. Unfortunately, his actions led to the accidental death of the brother of a powerful figure in Goa.
The fallout is a lengthy legal battle, as the CBI wrongly accuses him of murder, putting his career and life at stake.
Table of Contents
Costao Movie Review: Script Analysis
The film gets straight to the point, with Nawazuddin Siddiqui appearing on-screen without any grand build-up. Yet, the absence of an introduction works in his favour.
He slips into the role with such conviction that the real-life figure he’s portraying fades into the background. His nuanced performance captures a spectrum of emotions, and a particular monologue about his guilt after taking a life is a masterclass in acting brilliance.
Costao Movie Review: Star Performance
Losing Irrfan felt like losing a part of my cinematic soul. I stopped believing anyone could recreate that same magic on screen, particularly in deep, character-driven stories.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui didn’t seem like the one to carry that torch—not because of a lack of talent, but because I hadn’t seen him in such a light for a long time. Photograph, his film with Sanya Malhotra, might have been the last time I saw a glimpse of that brilliance.
There’s a quiet dignity in true artistry—it surfaces when the art is most in danger. Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s portrayal of Costao feels like a call back to honest cinema. At a time when thoughtful filmmaking risks being overshadowed by loud, empty crowd-pleasers, he arrives to remind us that all is not lost.
Costao Movie Review: Music & Direction
There’s something truly special about Costao, so well-executed that it deserves unanimous praise.
The film has no weak spots, and Nawazuddin’s excellence is rooted in the strong script and beautifully detailed dialogues by Bhavesh Mandalia and Meghna Srivastava.
Even within a seemingly simple story structure, the film is enriched by moving moments that make it unforgettable.
In Costao, director Sejal Shah doesn’t just focus on the lead character—she also weaves his emotional world into compelling subplots. His feelings become the driving force, amplified by striking dialogue that elevates every scene.
One moment truly stings: his wife accuses him of choosing duty over love, lamenting that she can’t even recall the last time he expressed affection.
Well, the act of saying “I love you” may be small, but its meaning is huge. Costao handles this theme delicately. In a moment that could’ve easily turned into emotional fluff, the dialogues bring charm and authenticity.
Costao explains that just like he loves his country but only says Vande Mataram on two national holidays, he loves his wife deeply but saves I love you for just two days a year—her birthday.
What could’ve easily become a cheesy moment is transformed into cinematic gold, thanks to Sejal Shah’s thoughtful script and Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s effortless brilliance.
Strategically woven into the narrative are powerful emotional beats, especially the camaraderie between officers. These aren’t power-hungry bureaucrats, but a rare, tight-knit group bound by trust and integrity.
They shield and encourage one another. Notably, one officer makes sure the investigating CBI official knows that Costao’s unwavering sense of duty makes him stand out as a rare and honest officer.
It’s no easy feat to stand up to Goa’s most powerful figure. Some officers bend, and one articulates it clearly: “This conscience thing? It’s not practical. I’ve been around India, and here, you need to play the bureaucratic game.
I help you now, you help me later — that’s how everything works.” He rationalizes his choices with a calm ease, never once letting remorse surface. His confidence in his own corruption is chilling.
Costao’s emotional unraveling begins when his wife decides to leave, unable to endure the constant threat that looms over their lives. Alone with their children in an unpredictable and dangerous world, her survival instincts take over.
Meanwhile, Costao is tormented by their separation, painfully admitting, “Kids from broken homes grow wise far too soon. You could call it maturity, or you could call it compulsion.”
The film touches on a point where Costao’s belief begins to falter, as seen when he enters the legal battle. He questions his boss, asking why the case has moved away from focusing on the Indian Customs Department versus D’Mello.
The most powerful man in Goa, and has instead turned into a murder trial. The film doesn’t dive deep into the core of corruption and power politics that drive this change.
Costao Movie Review: Final Word
Even though Costao has a couple of minor drawbacks, it stands out for two primary reasons. One, it refrains from turning Nawazuddin Siddiqui into a glorified hero.
Instead, he remains true to Fernandes’ character, ensuring he is the real hero throughout. Two, while the film is consistently good, it particularly shines in moments.
Every element, from the precise dialogues to the stunning camerawork, costumes, and the supporting cast, is seamlessly crafted, with a fantastic score tying it all together — a rare treat in today’s cinema.
In a truly effortless manner, Nawazuddin Siddiqui brings back what Bollywood has sorely missed – a genuinely great film. I’m still reflecting on it! What exceptional content, and such an honest and sincere movie!
Costao Trailer
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Madhusudan Goel is a graduate in Mass Communication and has a passion to develop any story into his own words.
