A
thriller keeps us glued to the chair by constantly challenging our intelligence
and engaging our curiosity. Talaash has a brilliant first half. The question,
whether the accident is a mere accident or a murder, troubles the protagonist
and his quest for an answer goes through the labyrinth of red-light areas with
inevitable connections to the plush apartments. The story telling is raised to
another level by intertwining the outer quest of the protagonist to crack the
case with his inner turmoil. It is rare in a Hindi movie, where you find a
protagonist, who is as vulnerable as us ordinary mortals but can still get on with
the job to give his best. His quest finds more questions than answers which
gives us a tense build up and anticipation for the second half. You have less
time for the rest-room and getting the pop-corn in the interval because you do
not want to miss the first scene of the second half.
A
thriller, generally, lacks depth which has to be compensated by speed. This can
be done by a tight plot developed with fast narration. The first half has both,
second half none. The second half, which loses pace under a meandering plot is
full of emotionalism which grows into supernatural. The director forgets that,
the genre of thriller, by its very nature seldom touches the heart but cannot
succeed without capturing the mind. The movie is like watching a fifty-over
match, where, after watching a scintillating start @9 per over by Tendulakar
and Sehwag you saw VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid struggling to score @4.5 per
over. The curious mind eager to find the answers is confronted with
supernatural. A kind of an anti-climax.
However
the movie has many attractions. It is mostly shot in the dark in beautiful
frames. The scores move the story forward, hauntingly. There are cops, pimps
and sex-workers in the movie yet no item number. Such a relief. Aamir Khan does
a good job of a police officer who is facing a tough case without and a tougher
conflict within. However, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, as the side-kick of a pimp,
steals the show. Kareena gives us the same plastic smiles as a sex-worker which
she could have given as a college student. Her street walking is more like a
cat walk on the ramp. Without the overly glitzy clothes and some good dialogues
given to her by Farhan Akthar and Anurag Kashyap, it would have been difficult
to establish that she was a sex-worker. Rani Mukherjee has a no make-up role of
a troubled house-wife which she performs with some ordinary acting. The women
in minor roles in the red-light areas are far more convincing than these
leading ladies. Overall the Aam Actor does far better in the movie than the stars
like Khan and Kapoor. Nawazuddin Siddiqui has had a super year as an actor with
Kahani and Gangs of Wassepur also under his belt. The movie is more than
watchable for the performances of Nawazuddin Siddiqui and other Aam Actors
directed by a talented young woman director who deserves the kudos for giving
us the brilliant first half. If you are a believer in supernatural then for you
the second half may not be as lame as it was for me.
PS:
The movie explores the reasons of death of a big star Aarman Kapoor!!! We cannot imagine Hindi movies without Khans and Kapoors and
Congress without three Gandhis and one Vadra.
