Raat Akeli Hai

Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and Radhika at their best.. But the main hero is screenplay. And Awesome cinematography... Every one have their own dark secret..

The film is good n a much needed one cos its rare to find a film noir and whodunit in Bollywood nowadays. But the character development was not done properly. Some scenes were also not edited well. The scene where the cop Nandu chases a guy n then suddenly the old woman pops up outta nowhere. How she managed to track the guy n where cop Nandu disappeared aft that. The murder involved some big names but our cop is able to extract the file of an old case jus like that. Aft that he is able to connect the vehicle's parts with the henchman again jus like that. Too many plot holes but i am generous with an 8 cos of Nawaz n the director's effort of giving Bollywood a much needed film noir. Fans of Agatha Christie n the recent Knives Out and Highway may b able to predict. And by the way they got one twisted n sick character.

Indian cinema has undergone transition recently. Recognition of character actors, experimenting directors and writers has brought a long awaited pleasant change. The movie is a great representation of all that.

Positives: Solid casting, no big names yet powerful and suitable actors chosen. Nawazuddin, Radhika, Tigmanshu and many more are all one of the finest actors in India and they definitely deliver a punch. Story although a bit Poirotesque but still beautifully written. The slow build culminating into a big finale is crafted with precision. May be inspired by Agatha Christie's style where everyone is a suspect, but still the suspense is created and kept me guessing till the very end. The curtain raiser we had, I never saw it coming. The love story woven into a murder mystery may sound Bollywoodish but that doesn't derail the plot.

Negatives: The songs had no place in the movie and seemed a bit out of place. They tried to do Gangs of Wasseypur here by even going with off beat and classical lyrics, but things did not click.

Conclusion: Good thriller and a right step into right direction by Indian cinema. Time to recognise good actors and movie-plots rather than going for spicy formula and celebrity actors.

Twisty and compulsively watchable, even though it is convoluted in parts and way too long. But an excellent story and pitch perfect performances, particularly from Siddique and Apte, raises its bar.

From the trailer you can assume that this is a whodunnit thriller, But after watching the film you'll realise that it is more than a murder mystery. The casting is so strong that there is nothing to say about it's acting performence.

Debutant director Honey Trehan has done a very good job in his first film. Cinematography by Pankaj Kumar and music of Sneha Khanwalkar is undoubtedly exceptional.

The only problem of the film is it's duration. It could be well edited. Otherwise it's a fine experiment.

Available on Netflix.

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