Khufiya: La taupe et l'espionne

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.

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.

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.

One of the best part is Wamiqa Gabbi's dance n her sex scene. What an amazing body n moves she has.

Fans of Richard Gere's The Double, Gary Oldman's Tinker Tailer.... & Hank's Bridge of Spies will enjoy this spy drama.

Ali Fazal gave a restrained but solid performance.

Tabu was jus added to make it look like female empowerment stuff. They shud have settled for an old actor whose character is retired n has much more experience than Tabu's character.

The only annoying thing is the lack of tension during the dinner scene with the mutton dish.

They cud have easily added some violence n disturbing effect.

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.

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