Keep guessing

Nonika Singh

Innocent-guilty, guilty- innocent…the needle of suspicion continues to waver and point in different directions. A good murder mystery is all about keeping you on the tenterhooks.  Ittefaq that opens on a high pitched note, the police chasing a car... has sufficient power to keep you involved in what seems like a double murder.

Under the radar is the celebrated writer Vikram Sethi (Sidharth Malhotra) running away from the police on suspicion of killing his wife. Guess what the ittefaq is. Well, he stumbles right into another murder. The wife of the murdered man Maaya (Sonakshi Sinha) is not above suspicion either, for who else but wife can have the motive to kill. In walks Akshaye Khanna, and the first thing you wish and rue at the same time is: why we don’t see him more often on the screen. As the investigating officer Dev, he looks sharp and acts sharper. As he is caught between varying versions of the truth (Maaya’s and Vikram’s), can he navigate himself and us through the web of intrigue? 

Indeed, the maze that debutant director Abhay Chopra lays for the viewers, has enough points of dramatic interest to ensnare us. The song-less film is without any fuss or frills and doesn’t strain our credulity that much. The runtime--less than two hours--helps to keep the suspense and the momentum going. Not to say that conjectures are not around the corner. Adultery, a rape victim angle, and a writer’s imagination in overdrive…. the murderer could be any one of the two or perhaps a rank outsider. When the climax unfolds and pins one down, jaws don’t exactly drop and you don’t quite utter—Oh My God. 

But wait ...picture abhi baaki hai. As they say there has to be a twist in the tale. And the sting is right there waiting for you. As in a book often there is an epilogue, here the anti-climax comes loaded with more suspense. Whether you are convinced or not by the new turn of events, there is much that the film offers in its unfolding. 

First and foremost, it’s one of the most interesting profiling of the police force. From constables to inspectors to officers they look the part and act it out. Be it their ungodly working hours or their office conditions…clearly a policeman’s life is not the easiest in the world. The mystery may not sound as realistic but the police portrayal is uncannily close to real. But Chopra is not unnecessarily dwelling here or anywhere else for that matter. 

Barbs punctuated with wry humour, brings forth both their foibles and quirks. Humour, anyway, acts as tool to break the tension which doesn’t get so thick that you can cut it with a knife. Neither dark nor morose, it is tightly packaged with enough twists and turns to demand your attention.    

 If you have seen the original Ittefaq, you can draw parallels, as well as look out for points of departure with the Rajesh Khanna-starrer film of 1969.  And if you have no recollection of the earlier film ... you will be suitably engaged if not mighty impressed.  Actors, especially the prime suspects, emote it right and evoke empathy as well as shock. But whether it is Sonkashi, Sidharth or Akshaye, their competent acting never gets the better of the storyline. Theirs are not stand alone acts but ones that are reined in and flow and gel with the taut thriller. Keeping the curiosity clock ticking... this ‘whodunit’ may not be the greatest murder mystery ever told…but is worth checking out.