Khufiya

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.

Whenever confronted with the term 'espionage thriller', we automatically assume that the narrative will be laden with action and explosions; we seldom anticipate a slow-burn drama that may take its time and proceed with caution.

Therefore, projects like "Khufiya" would always face severe criticism because of how they approach this genre, which is very atypical of the standards set by decades of arbitrary rituals!

That said, my disappointment doesn't correlate with its moderately alien tonality; on the contrary, I liked how different it came across from all other spy movies.

Most of my qualms are regarding the screenplay's insipid and lethargic nature. The first half is fine, but the second half struggles hard to maintain the sense of engagement. The writing took too much time to get to the definitive juncture, but even then, the payoff was mild compared to what I wanted.

The performances are commendable, though, with Tabu shining in her role again. But it's Wamiqa Gabbi who made the greater impression, especially in the latter half of the tale.

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.

Anwar Says: Vishal Bhardwaj always takes up something new and normally delivers, this time it's an espionage drama. The movie started so well and intriguing but didn't require story of Tabu's personal life at length,particularly the lesbian angle. After one hour, it has become haywire in parts. You would like the loose ends to join but it would again split.

I would consider it as a movie of new darling of OTT Wamiqa Gabbi rather of Tabbu. She has been given ample scope to shine, whether to dance on numbers of 70's or to show his pain and anguish. Ali Faizal's character is totally confused and he looked confused. In a comparatively shorter role, Azmeri Haque Badhon as ISI associate impress.

Climax is hushed up and could have been better. Vishal Saheb had the scope to present a beauty but he missed the bus. Inclusion of Rahul Ram ( Indian Ocean fame) is a good experiment and it worked. 6 out of 10 from me.

#netflixmovies #anwarsays #Espionagethriller #mole #movie2023 #tabu #wamiqagabbi #AshishVidyarthi #alifaizal #spycamera #VishalBhardwaj.

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.