One the most keenly anticipated films of the year, Talaash has hit the big screen. Directed by Reema Kagti, who wrote the screenplay with Zoya Akhtar, the film stars three of the best in the business Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Rani Mukherji. We know you are all keen to know our thoughts and with Talaash being a murder mystery, we won’t expend time (and dreaded spoilers) in giving you an outline of the plot, let’s go straight to the bigger picture!
In typical Aamir style, the offering, genre and set up is different from not only his peers, but also from his previous works. The film’s characters are made of tortured individuals, each with a deep rooted pain of their own. With that Aamir’s performance oozes angst, guilt and torment, conveyed through his eyes and body language throughout. At times I felt I was watching a younger Kamal Haasan on screen. Another testament to Aamir’s ability, he plays the role like none of his previous roles and leaves with us a tormented character and not himself. You end up feeling for him here, just as you did in Ghajini, but in a different sort of way.
Rani will remind you of the beautiful, realistic and down-to-earth wife she played previously in Hey Ram. Her approach is extremely mature and her pain is equally felt through her eyes and facial expressions. This is the Rani you may have missed in Aiyaa. With Kareena, you may know by now that she plays a call girl and although she’s played a similar role in Chameli before, her approach here is different. Yes, she is playful and teasing, thus hitting the right language required for the role, she is also restrained in her delivery. She brings a smile to your face, but is compelling at the same time.
Now onto the story, again without giving anything away. This is perhaps one of the most well written, mature and layered scripts to be brought to the mainstream screen in a long time. The depth and intelligence of the script will make you instantly appreciate why Aamir Khan the perfectionist choose it. It is refreshing to see an original script and one which makes you think. Additionally a multi-layered suspense drama always requires a level of sophistication in order to make it work, so hats off to Reema and Zoya Akhtar for making this work.
Finally Reema’s directing, three words: take a bow! The setting of the film, shot mainly on location in Mumbai and shot mostly in the evenings added to the darkness of the film and it’s characters. Additionally the film was rich in narrative and visuals, rather than taking the route most Bollywood films take which is to load the film and characters with excess expo dialogue. There also has to be a mention of the editing, probably mostly aided by a concise script, the pace remained even and length necessary.
With the year ending soon, we bet you are wondering how we think this will rank amongst all the other big films of 2012. Is it the film of the year? Well, the jury’s is still deciding and you will have to wait for our end of year ‘top 10s’, but definitely one of the top 5. This is mature, sensible and alternative commercial cinema at its best.
Salman has already given us the 100 crore Ek Tha Tiger. Shah Rukh followed by with his 100 crore Jab Tak Hai Jaan and now, it is Aamir’s turn with suspense-mystery-thriller Talaash. If (and when!) it joins the 100 crore club, it will be the first of it’s genre and probably the only one for a while. Get yourself down to the cinema tonight if you can – you will not be disappointed.
(BollySpice viewed Talaash in the O2’s Sky Super Screen, the largest non-IMAX screen in Europe)
