The moment you hear that a film is a “suspense thriller” you know that its success relies on the “twist”. So first the good news: There’s more to ‘Talaash’ (Search) than just the twist. There’s emotion, drama, mystery and even the supernatural.
The bad news is the twist might not do it for you.
But I have to admit, it does take guts to make an intelligent film like this. With thematic elements ranging from the price one pays for crime, coping with grief to the connection between chance and consequence, the film does thrill you. And director Reema Kagti manages to keep the narrative realistic all through the film.
As the opening credits roll with the song ‘Muskaanein jhooti hai; in the background, you notice the supreme cinematographic talent of K.U. Mohanan (‘DON’, ‘English August’) as he shows some stark, iridescent images of Mumbai.
A deadly car crash forms the crux of the story. Aamir Khan plays Inspector Surjan Singh Shekhawat, the officer investigating this case.
Chance brings the inspector to meet Rosy, the mysterious designer clad prostitute played by Kareena Kapoor. Along with the three main characters, the story introduces a colourful supporting cast.
As the story progresses slowly, this case becomes life changing for inspector Surjan as his ‘talaash’ for clues to solve the mystery coincide with his own search for peace of mind and closure after a personal calamity. Then, towards the last 15 minutes of the film, the tone and flavour change rapidly when the script takes a sudden twist. The audience suddenly knows more than the protagonist.
While Surjan pieces the puzzle together, most you would have already guessed the twist. Now the choice becomes choosing between feeling let down at this juncture or being sucked in by Khan’s superior acting and large powerful eyes and letting your emotions take over. Yes, there’s more than a fanciful surprise to the film, and your judgment of the twist could affect your decision of whether or not you like the film.
Khan has interpreted Inspector Shekhawat differently from his earlier cop roles (Baazi, Sarfarosh) and from the current crop of policemen recently seen on screen (Singham, Chulbul Pandey). This is a role he can be proud of for sure. His constant frown, broken by the occasional half smile only makes you wonder if the method actor in him went to the inner depths of his own gloom to bring out such a layered emotional portrayal. Rani Mukherji as a distraught mother and anxious wife manages to hold the fort despite her limited screen time. Her role will remind you of her glorious ‘Chameli’ role, and Kapoor ends up setting a new benchmark for her journey as an actor. In fact, ‘Talaash’ might even earn her greater esteem than ‘Heroine’ did.
If I had to choose one word to describe the supporting cast, it would be “realistic”. The relatable characters like the crazy Parsi neighbour, colony kids dancing to ‘Jhalak dhiklaja’, the street hustler, make the story even more believable. Special mention to Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Raj Kumar Yadav, who evidently excel in their craft.
For me personally though, the twist didn’t work but what worked was the quixotic nature of the screenplay and the way it makes you wonder about the framework of reality that one is used to and the way it makes you question reality itself.
The dialogue in the film is worth a double take. Kagti, along with her screenplay and dialogue team of Zoya Akthar, Farhan Akthar and Anurag Kashyap, have managed to create memorable moments with the script.
Being in the business of playing music, my review would be incomplete if I didn’t include a note about the superb soundtrack by Ram Sampath (of ‘Delhi Belly’ fame). Tracks like ‘Jee le zara’ and ‘Jiya laage na’ are way ahead of their time. A hit like ‘Hona hai kya’ has great potential.
But I’m not going to give this movie a ten out of ten. For a man like Khan who, unlike his colleagues, acts in only one film a year, I had expected something with a little more chutzpah if not path breaking. At the end, I couldn’t stop wondering if this was the same Khan who redefined Indian cinema with films like ‘Rang de Basanti’ and ‘Taare Zameen Par’. This could have well been an Emraan Hashmi film. Maybe I was in “talaash” of something else, or maybe I just had too many expectations from my favourite actor.
*Anjaan co-presents Josh Jumpstart with Meghana on Josh 97.8 (Sunday to Thursday, 6-10am).
