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Film: Khufiya
Directed by: Vishal Bhardwaj
Genre: Spy Thriller
Cast: Tabu, Wamiqa Gabbi, Ali Fazal
My Rating: 6/10
Vishal Bhardwaj adopts Amar Bhushan’s “Escape to Nowhere” for a cinematic thriller, Khufiya. Tabu, Ali Fazal and Wamiqa Gabbi are in the lead. It seems like Bollywood has forgotten how to make good thrillers and mysteries. Khufiya is another testament to that statement.
Khufiya is more drama than thriller. There are many things that can bore you for a while especially when they are 155 minutes long. I believe any thriller shouldn’t go over the standard 2-hour runtime. Because that’s one of the major aspects which makes a movie pacy and engaging. Khufiya just doesn’t justify to the basics, if they were making a universally appealing thriller.
The content is a usual one of a traitor from a agency and how the agency get holds of him. The movie is seat catching and intense in some scenes. The thrill thus carries the movie but then the pace gets slow. Some songs were not meant for it. Vishal is popular for his music but this time he did not make it. Spy stories involving international agencies and moles are not everyone’s cup of tea. Vishal Bhardwaj proves well it in Khufiya.
Firstly, the screenplay goes wrong and then direction. The cast failed in the portrayal of true essence of the characters. Either the editing has chopped off scenes or the characters were not build up well. I would consider it as a movie of the new darling of OTT Wamiqa Gabbi rather than Tabu. She has an ample scope to shine, whether it’s dance on the numbers of 70’s or to show her pain and anguish. Ali Faizal’s character is totally confusing. Tabu is a brilliant actress but here her talent is ruined.
Overall, I have expectations from a director like Vishal Bhardwaj, both for storytelling and directional point of view. In the whole, Khufiya could have been a good spy thriller, if it had only stuck to spying. The director must avoid all that monotonous drama.
An average watch that underplayed itself.
Previous Review by Aqib Raza,
