Movie Review: Talaash a nail-biting thriller

Star Cast : Aamir Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Kareena Kapoor, Nawazuddin Sidhiqui

Direction: Reema Kagti

Dialogues: Farhaan Akhtar

Story: Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti

Duration: 2 Hrs 19 Min

Rating * * * *

Undoubtedly, Aamir is one such acting titan of of Bollywood who is known for challenging the rules of conventional cinema. This time Mr Perfectionist has returned to BO with his much talked about suspense thriller, Talaash starring Rani Mukherjee, Kareena Kapoor, Nawazudin Sidhiqui and Jineet Rath.

This much awaited suspense cine tale of Aamir opened with an average occupancy of 70% at the multiplexes ( why not after all it's Mr Perfectionist prevailing legacy that precedes his movie releases).

Another key traits which precedes Aamir's style of cinematography is uniqueness of his cine concepts and his novel promotional strategies. Be it 3 Idiots or Taare Zameen Par, every time Aamir has succeeded in setting up a remarkable benchmarks, but contrary to his signature style of promotion this time he created a very conspicuous suspense around the promotions of his suspense drama, Talaash by maintaining an extremely low key affair.

Before proceeding further with the dissection of movie, let me brush aside all the rumors which stated that, Talaash is suspense thriller similar to Kahaani or is an inspired suspense slice which has borrowed its premise from a novella called "Act Of Providence". Talaash has got a thoroughly original premise drafted by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti.

Synopsis:
Talaash is a suspense thriller with its roots embedded in the the gray lanes of Mumbai, where a cine star dies in a car crash, subsequently leading to the stepping of an investigative officer who himself is trying to maintain an equilibrium between his personal and professional world and how he comes across a a spectrum of situations, where a hooker helps him in getting the murder mystery resolved.

Story:
Talaash takes-off with the accident of cine star Armaan Kapoor (Vivan Bhatena), whose car nose dives into sea on the Sea face road of Mumbai, subsequently leading to the stepping in of Inspector Surjan Shekhawat ( Aamir Khan) for investigating the case.

As the tale proceeds, Shekhawat finds a murky case of blackmailing which may have a connection with the accident. The case turns into a life altering chase for Inspector Shekhawat, when he is forced to reel under the repercussions of a disturbed married life with his wife Roshni (Rani Mukherji) and come face to face with his suppressed grief (of loosing his son).

While being on his investigative quest, Inspector Shekhawat has a rendezvous with a hooker Rosy (Kareena Kapoor), who further adds shades of mystery to this ongoing puzzle.

With the moving ahead of investigation, things start getting complicated as investigations show many anomalies stringed to the death of the Armaan Kapoor. While investigating the case Inspector Shekhawat has a tryst with Temur (NawazuddinSiddiqui) a small time pimp who further adds to the complexity of investigation.

So did Inspector Shekhawat succeeds in revealing the mystery behind accident and manages to free himself from the demons of his past and what happens to Rosy, to find watch Talaash.

Script:
When the buzz pertaining to Talaash made it news arena, at the same time arena also got flooded with the gossip about its being a rip off of a novella called "Act Of Providence", the latest rumor that crowded the gossip aisles stated that Talaash has got a plot somewhat similar to that of Vidya Balan starrer suspense thriller Kahaani. But believe me none of the three tales share similar ground.

As far as story of Talaash is concerned then it unquestionably is one such absorbing tale which keeps you captivated through out the run time of the movie. From the very first frame it's the curiosity that takes you to a thrilling ride for next two hours. And the best feature that makes Talaash a marvelous tale is its outstanding showcasing of conspicuous secret without leaving any space for predictability.

Be it professional world of a cop or his crevice ridden personal life, everything in the movie is knitted in such an adroit manner, that it nowhere compels you to get divorced from the onscreen proceedings. The onscreen offerings of Talaash is so much attention-grabbing that it makes viewer a participant of sorts.

Whereas on rhetoric front Talassh once has got an edge, with transfixing dialogues of Farhaan Akhtar, which never get inflated to showcase the protagonists in larger than life shades.

Screenplay:
I guess nobody will have any apprehensions about the fact that when it's Mr Perfectionist Aamir on the celluloid, then everything is bound to be perfect. From the very first sequence where a luxury sedan is furiously tossed and swallowed within no time by the magnificent waters, the stupendous screenplay of the movie takes off.

In the subsequent frames things keep on getting even better. One thing which can be quoted with a firm backing is that through out the run time of the movie, Kagti has thoroughly succeeded in keeping every minutest details under the tab. From suspense inducing sequence to, nervousness and emotional unease of the protagonists, every minutest detail has got a thorough detailing attached to it.

In nutshell the marvelously fine production design and pictuarisation of Talaash is so absorbing that you don't afford to take off your gaze from the celluloid even for a moment.

Though it will be wrong to say that Talaash has got tons of on-the-edge of the seat moments, but inspite of that the dexterity with which every situation and sequence of the movie has been shot keeps on enveloping you with its thrill coefficient.

In all Reema Kagti keeps a consistent direction throughout the film, and succeeds in giving viewers a feel of assimilation with the onscreen tale. Super fine cinematography of KU Mohanan is another glittering gem in the casket of Talaash, which lends a magnificent look throughout the run time of the movie with the colours, focus and the weirdest locales of southern Mumbai.

Music and Background Score:
Despite the absence of those foot thumping numbers, music of Ram Sampath is a soothing aural delight which thoroughly compliments the theme of the movie. Tracks like Jee Ley Zara and Jiya Laage Naa very well animates the emotion of the protagonists and gets inculcated in your conscious with in no time.

Performances:
By his impeccable acting dexterity as a troubled cop-father Surjan Shekhawat, Aamir Khan has once again proved that why he is called as Mr Perfectionist of tinsel town.

As a troubled father who is captivated within the confines of thoughts and keeps on regretting about the things that he could have done to save his son , Aamir showcases the sorrow of guilty conscious father with utmost dexterity.

Besides Aamir, Rani too have succeeded in leaving a thorough impact as a sorrow ridden mother and has very well carried the role of Aamir's wife. As usual Kareena has looked classy and has very comfortably slipped under the skin of mysterious hooker Rosy.

However, in supporting cast, Nawazuddin Siddiqui manages to grab the attention of the fans in the shoes of Temur and manages to charm you with his giddy yet impressive facets. In nut shell entire supporting cast of Talaash has very well complemented the performances of leading protagonists to toss out a captivating mystery saga.

BO Potential:
As far as BO Potential of Talaash is concerned then it's the legacy of Aamir which will surely pull the masses to the theatres. Where as on the commercial front the movie is expected to gross good amount on the BO but may fall short of the previous BO benchmarks set by Aamir.

Verdict:
To sum up Talaash is a captivating suspense thriller, which despite showcasing a conspicuous secrets keeps your attention glued to the screen and subsequently present you with a beyond expectation climax.