Te3n

The genre of serious crime thriller has arrived in Bollywood. We have already had excellent films like 'kahani', 'talash' and now Ribhu Dasgupta gives us 'te3n'.

In 1997 I joined a queue under scorching midday sun to buy a ticket for 'Mrityudata' (one of Amitabh Bachchan's totally forgettable middle-age fares) and felt it was time to write him off. Twenty years down the line, he reigns supreme over the Indian film industry, going from strength to strength, reinventing and surpassing himself time and again. That itself could have been enough for 'te3n' but the director also decided to throw Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Vidya Balan and Sabyasachi Chakrabarti in. A viewing pleasure.

Many have complained about the slow pace. For me that set the tone of the story. An excellent story, told by an exceptional ensemble cast - the perfect fare for a lazy Sunday afternoon. We are told that the story-line has been taken from a Korean one, but its adaptation into the slowly decaying Anglo-Indian community of Kolkata has been flawless.

My only serious grouse is about Sabyasachi Chakrabarti. A brilliant actor, a versatile presence in the Bengali (large and small) screen. However, the way he has let his appearance go in recent years has been a source of terrible disappointment to his appreciative viewers.

The good: The movie, as the credits indicate, is derived at least partly from the Korean movie "Montage". The story is quite suspenseful and the director does a good job juggling between various interweaving stories and time periods. Performances from the lead actors are solid and little to fault there. The negatives: My main gripe with the movie is that it contains several idle moments which do not seem to serve much purpose to either the development of the plot or characters or the overall experience. Overall verdict: Otherwise, the script is solid and the movie is well worth a watch. It also continues the gradually building list of quality Hindi whodunits with West Bengal (more specifically Kolkata) as the backdrop after Kahaani and Byomkesh Bakshi. I would also recommend Baishe Srabon, an excellent thriller in Bengali language, for whodunit fans

This movie is the official remake of Korean movie montage

I watch mostly International films and series, with favorites being Indian and South Korean. So I'm a bit biased toward them, but I'm rarely disappointed either. This one works just fine because of always wonderful Amitabh Bachchan and his supporting cast. It's a bit predictable but still interesting with just the right edge of suspense and satisfying resolution. The music is also good with some effective touches in the second half. I enjoyed this one for a Saturday afternoon break.

Synopsis: The story is set in Kolkata where John Biswas (Amitabh) lives with his sick, wheelchair bound wife. John hasn't moved on in life even after 8 years since the death of his granddaughter Angela in a kidnapping incident. He needs closure and keeps pursuing the case, especially since he blames himself for her death. Father Martin (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) is an ex-cop turned priest. Martin, the cop in charge of John's case has a life changing experience due to the tragedy.

Suddenly after 8 years, John stumbles upon new clues in the case which might lead him to the killer. Not having too any expectations from the police he decides to investigate the leads himself.

In the meanwhile, a second kidnapping takes place which has an uncanny resemblance to the kidnapping of John's granddaughter eight years ago. Events occur in an identical pattern where Manohar's (Sabyasachi Chakraborty) grandson Ronnie is kidnapped. The case is handed over to Sarita (Vidya Balan) who seeks help from Martin to nab the kidnapper, due to his prior experience with the Angela case.

Investigations in these two cases set eight years apart, one by Amitabh and the other by Vaidya and Nawaz happening in parallel with some flashback scenes form the crux of this gripping psychological thriller.

Cast: The main cast namely Amitabh, Nawaz, Vidya and Sabyasachi play their roles to perfection keeping the audiences glued to their seats. Amazing performances indeed!! Direction Music and Editing: Ribhu Ghosh's direction is superb keeping the plot on track, that along with slick editing keep the audiences hooked till the very end of the film. Music is good and compliments the narrative very well.

As a writer, I could think of at least three alternate endings for the film. The makers have however chosen the most "humane one" and not the most "gripping, edge of the seat one" which could somewhat disappoint die-hard "Whodunit" fans. Well, having said that; the ending is not bad at all and you come out of the cinema hall feeling satisfied that your money has been well spent.

My Verdict: Great performances, direction, nice gripping storyline with an ending to watch out for. Is it a serial killer who has come out of hibernation after eight long years or is there something else to it?? Don't want to reveal too much here. Guys, bindaas jaake theatre main dekho!! You won't be disappointed. If you liked Vidya Balan's Kahani, you will love this one too!! 8/10 from me for this highly entertaining movie!!