3.5 / 5
Aamir Khan is known for delivering something fresh and different in each outing of his. With Talaash, the trailers promised a taut investigative thriller with fair amount of suspense. Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhthar helm this project with the likes of Farhan Akhthar and Anurag Kashyap chipping in the dialogues department. With such a heavy duty cast and crew, does Talaash satisfy all the pre-release curiosity and hype?
Talaash is about Inspector Surjan Singh Skekhawat’s (Aamir Khan) search for the truth in a high profile car crash that claims the life of superstar Armaan Kapoor. Side by side, he also has to battle the personal grief caused by a tragedy that took his little son’s life away in a freak mishap. Shekhawat’s investigation takes him through Mumbai’s dark underbelly populated by pimps and prostitutes. One particular call girl named Rosie (Kareena Kapoor) helps him out with key pointers to solve the overall mystery.
As the film unfolds, we not only see the mystery surrounding the car accident unraveling but also the truth behind one of the key characters in the movie. The twist in the tale is a nice shocker indeed though the discerning mind does figure it out halfway through the second half.
The film works despite the slackening pace in the early stages of the second half. The reason why the pace dips is nicely compensated towards the end when all the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle are put in place. The first half nicely sets the movie for the thrilling ride in the second half with the list of suspects being wide open. In that sense, the slow pace at the start of the second half does cause a brief lull, only to thankfully pick up very well again.
Every character in the movie has weight be it Nawazuddin Siddiqui as the sidekick in the red light area, Raj Kumar Yadav as the assisting cop, Rani Mukerji as the concerned wife of Shekhawat and Fernaz Patel as the nosy and mysterious neighbor. All the call girls in the red light area look very genuine and the entire area has been set up very authentically. Most of the movie happens in the night and Mohanan’s cinematography captures the dark and edgy look of Mumbai brilliantly.
Aamir Khan is there throughout the movie in an emotionally heavy role and the star’s grim and serious avatar gels with the character. Kareena Kapoor is by far the star of the movie as the alluring call girl Rosie who facilitates Shekhawat’s investigation. Catch the movie to experience her role in its totality.
Ram Sampath’s songs go along with the movie’s flow as montages. To say that all the five songs are nice and apt is an understatement. Jee Le Zaraa, Jiya Lage Na and Laakh Duniya Kahe lead the pack. His background score supports the movie’s haunting and mystical premise.
To conclude, the two ladies, Reema and Zoya, have made this movie for a mature audience who can sit through a movie and experience it despite some pace issues. Those seeking just mass entertainment and song and dance routines might complain. All in all, Talaash is worth the wait and hats off to Aamir Khan for continuing to encourage new attempts from youngsters.
FINAL WORD: An unwavering psychological thriller
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