By Team INVC | INVC NEWS
MUMBAI, India | September 15, 2026 —
Last Man in Tower review: How much is a home worth? Is it simply a piece of property whose value rises with every new skyscraper around it, or does its real worth lie in memories, relationships and a lifetime spent behind its walls?
Last Man in Tower turns that deceptively simple question into an increasingly uncomfortable battle involving money, family, neighbours and principles.
Manoj Bajpayee leads Ben Rekhi’s adaptation of Aravind Adiga’s acclaimed novel, supported by Divya Dutta, Boman Irani and Sukant Goel. Rather than relying on spectacle, the film places ordinary middle-class aspirations under extraordinary pressure.
The result is a restrained but unsettling drama that asks a difficult question: What happens when everyone around you believes you should sell, but you refuse to put a price on what matters to you?
INVC NEWS Rating: ★★★★☆ — 4/5
Story: When Everyone Wants to Sell Except One Man
At the heart of Last Man in Tower stands Yogesh Mishra, played by Manoj Bajpayee.
He is a retired teacher living in an ageing Mumbai housing society. Then comes an opportunity capable of transforming the residents’ lives: redevelopment.
For most people in the building, the offer represents money, a better home and a chance to move forward.
For Yogesh, however, the equation isn’t so simple.
He refuses.
That single decision changes everything.
People who shared corridors, celebrations and years of everyday life suddenly find themselves divided by one man’s resistance. As financial dreams grow bigger, patience begins to disappear.
Neighbours become opponents. Relationships start cracking. Family tensions surface.
The redevelopment dispute gradually becomes something far more disturbing than an argument over real estate.
It becomes a test of human nature.
Manoj Bajpayee Gives the Film Its Soul
Manoj Bajpayee is the biggest reason Last Man in Tower works.
His performance doesn’t need grand speeches or conventional heroism. Instead, he builds Yogesh through stubbornness, loneliness, grief, frustration and conviction.
That restraint matters.
Yogesh can appear principled in one scene and painfully inflexible in another. The film doesn’t make it easy for viewers to decide whether he is completely right.
That ambiguity gives Bajpayee room to create a genuinely human character.
His silences often carry more weight than dialogue.
As pressure closes in around Yogesh, Bajpayee makes the audience feel the emotional cost of standing alone.
Divya Dutta Brings Another Side of the Conflict
Divya Dutta gives the story an equally important perspective.
Her character reminds viewers that the people who want redevelopment are not automatically villains.
For some residents, money represents security. For others, it offers dignity, opportunity or escape from a life they no longer want.
Dutta brings that desperation and practicality into the conflict without reducing it to simple greed.
That is one of the film’s strongest qualities.
Almost everyone believes they have a legitimate reason for what they are doing.
Boman Irani Adds Weight Without Turning Into a Typical Villain
Boman Irani plays the builder at the centre of the redevelopment battle.
A weaker film could easily have transformed such a character into an exaggerated antagonist.
Last Man in Tower largely avoids that temptation.
The real villain here isn’t necessarily one person.
It is the pressure created when money, aspiration, property and human relationships collide.
That makes the conflict considerably more interesting.
Ben Rekhi Keeps the Drama Grounded
Director Ben Rekhi understands that this story doesn’t need explosions, action sequences or artificial twists.
Its battlefield is a housing society.
Its weapons are persuasion, resentment, emotional pressure, money and fear.
That simplicity gives the movie much of its power.
The ageing building becomes more than a location. It represents memory, community and an older Mumbai steadily being challenged by redevelopment.
As the residents’ attitudes change, the familiar surroundings begin to feel increasingly claustrophobic.
A Mumbai Story With a Universal Question
Mumbai’s redevelopment boom gives Last Man in Tower an immediately recognisable setting.
Old housing societies across the city frequently confront questions involving ageing buildings, soaring land values and lucrative redevelopment proposals.
Yet the film’s central dilemma extends far beyond Mumbai.
When does compromise become surrender?
Can one person’s principles outweigh the wishes of an entire community?
Does refusing life-changing money make someone courageous—or selfish?
The film is at its best when it refuses to answer those questions for the audience.
Where Last Man in Tower Falls Short
The movie’s restrained storytelling will not work equally well for everyone.
Viewers expecting a fast-paced thriller or conventional commercial drama may find sections deliberately slow.
The narrative depends heavily on conversations, behaviour and gradually escalating tension.
Some secondary characters could also have benefited from greater depth.
Yet these limitations don’t erase the film’s emotional impact.
Its discomfort is intentional.
Should You Watch Last Man in Tower?
Yes—particularly if you enjoy performance-driven social dramas.
Don’t go expecting a conventional Manoj Bajpayee thriller.
Go expecting a film about ordinary people forced to decide what they value when a large amount of money suddenly enters their lives.
Last Man in Tower ultimately isn’t just about an old building waiting for redevelopment.
It is about something far more personal:
What are you willing to sell for a better future—and what would you refuse to sell at any price?
That question stays with you after the film ends.
INVC NEWS VERDICT
★★★★☆ — 4/5
Manoj Bajpayee delivers another deeply controlled performance, while Divya Dutta and Boman Irani strengthen a thoughtful drama about property, greed, family and principles. Last Man in Tower may move quietly, but its questions hit hard.
