Khufiya

The movie got released today. Because of Badhon, I was waiting for it be released and finished seeing it just now.

General review: very poor storytelling. No proper introduction of why people are doing what they are doing. We don't know why Ravi is betraying his own country. There was a one liner explanation which definitely isn't enough to describe his motives. Don't know why his mother is helping him. Don't know why Badhon came to Tabu for help or even why she later joined another organization. There were a one liner explanation for some of those and those doesn't help much to understand the reasoning. And the ending climax can't be any poorer.

Overall, expected much from a director like Vishal Bhardwaj, both from storytelling and directional point of view.

Disappointed.

Vishal Bhardwaj's strength is complex characters-driven drama, probing the human psyche and exploring how the characters deal with their inner conflicts and moral dilemmas. The characters in his movies may be gangsters, Underworld dons, or terrorists but they all seem normal, humane, and rooted in reality and with the strong flavor of local culture.

These characters, though very real, always have their eccentricities and idiosyncrasies which make them interesting and lift the movie itself and the whole experience of watching the movie. Salman-Salman (identical twins) in Haider, Shahid Kapoor (his peculiar stammering) & Bhope Bhau (with his piles) in Kaminey, Nandu Khatri (his petty greed and the whole mannerism) in The Blue Umbrella, to name a few; Maqbool, Omkara, 7 Khoon Maaf, Patakha are filled with such characters.

But when the main characters are one-dimensional, the plot falls flat and the screenplay is all over the place, the same peculiarities and quirks become irritating, painful, and stick out like a sore thumb. One such quirky character in Khufiya is the mother-in-law, although brilliantly performed (by Navnindra Behl) contributed nothing. Similarly, the spiritual guru, Yaar Jogiya (inspired by Sadguru?) played by Rahul Ram was also completely out of place and the whole sub-plot was boring and didn't work at all.

As mentioned, the screenplay is all over the place, literally and figuratively. Bangladesh in the first act, New Delhi in the second act, and finally in South Dakota, USA in the third act, but the agenda of the film and intent of the director are more scattered than the physical locations shown. Was he attempting for a cerebral geo-political/spy-thriller or going for a detailed character study set in this world, or was attempting to make a generic, quirky masala thriller? Sadly he failed in all three.

In the promotional interviews Vishal said he was fascinated and inspired by the details of the spy world described in Aamar Bhushan's book (Escape to Nowhere, on which the film is loosely based), but where is that detail in the movie, Vishal? No spy-craft or thrill in this spy-thriller. It is rather a dull spy-family drama showing the age-old, stereotypical, and much-explored personal life of spies in cinema (recently and much more effectively in the web series The Family Man).

The casting of the minor character, if rightly done adds to the believability of the world depicted in the film and supports the main cast. In Khufiya, none of the minor characters impress (which otherwise is always a strong point in Vishal's films), especially the American characters are performed so badly that they appear as caricatures (didn't work, if intentional).

Wamiqa Gabbi is fun to watch and Azmeri Haque Badhon really impressed in whatever small screetime she had. Ali Fazal, Ashish Vidhyarthi, and Atul Kulkarni all are good, and Tabu is Tabu although the character has nothing much to offer.

So unlike Vishal Bharadwaj. The story and acting is below par. The dialogues are childish. Shows Vishal's clear obsession with Wamiqa, having cast her in another tepid serial Charlie Chopra, something akin to what Ram Gopal Verma did to promote his favorite stone cold actresses and everybody knows where he is now.

Very disappointing.

The dialogues lack the punch that is required. The movie seems to have been directed by a new comer. He would have done a better job.

The director has been able to gather an impressive cast but could not extract what was needed to make this movie a success.

Just avoid this movie.

Spy stories involving international agencies and moles is not everyone's cup of tea, Vishal Bharadwaj proves that in Khufiya. The basic story premise is believable and has some substance but not the screenplay which is lethargically paced with the usual tropes of followers through the streets, crude spy cams installed openly in most obvious of the places in suspects houses and expected behaviors and ordinary reveals which makes this a very lukewarm espionage thriller. Tabu also seems to ne jaded though adequate, but Ashish Vidyarthi , the new hero and sub heroines are wasted. Their expressions are pale and does not excite. At the most, 5/10, and that if you used to like Tabu a lot earlier. The story and screenplay need a lot more masala and reality checks to be interesting g like Special Ops etc which were solid thrillers.

When was the last time you saw Tabu go through an entire film with one expression? (Quite like Bruce Willis in most of his films.) Perhaps never. But there's always a first time.

Khufiya poses an interesting dilemma. From whose point of view does the director, Vishal Bhardwaj, want us to see the film?

The spy who goes rogue The R&AW officer whose personal life is a mess The housewife, literally caught between the devil and the deep blue sea The lady love of the lady The scheming grandmother The ISI who are constantly plotting against us The CIA agents who are there to do something but don't know quite what they are doing.

Or is it about a mole. Not the mole you would find on a person's body, but someone on the inside spilling secrets onto the other side. If by the end of the movie you are successful in finding out the mole, do let the director, and all of us, know.

Vishal Bhardwaj believes in equal opportunity for his entire team - Each member of the cast is wasted - Ali Fazal, Ashish Vidyarthi, Atul Kulkarni and Navnindra Behl as Maaji.

Wamiqa Gabbi is soon becoming the next Radhika Apte with hardworking but stereotypical performances.

One hour into the movie you don't care what happens next.

If you're looking for a mystery thriller then you'll be disappointed. On the other hand, if you want to watch a soulful emotional drama (with moments of unintended comedy, if I may add) then this may be the movie for you.

Consider these.

Wamika Gabbi extolling the virtues of fasting for Karwa Chauth to an American woman while pouring a glass of wine.

When an American woman asks if 'Something fishy is going on?' - the temptation is to answer - 'No! But there's mutton Rogan Josh for the main course.'

Or Tabu telling a CIA agent, 'Seems like you guys are smart only in your movies'. Dear lady, that's a lot better than movies such as this one which are the epitome of being dumb. And, getting dumber with each passing day.

You don't have to take my word. It's at home. And if you've subscribed to the platform then it's free to view. But there may not be many dumber ways to spend 2+ hours of your life than watching this. The decision is yours.