Khufiya Review – Engrossing Spy Thriller Let Down By Final Act
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
In movies, a spy’s role usually entails saving the world, which typically involves battling villains, performing daring stunts like cliff-jumping, wielding firearms, evading bullets, driving fast cars or piloting helicopters, and narrowly escaping death numerous times. However, sometimes, a spy’s duty is to spend hours seated at their desks, surveilling potential suspects as they go about their daily household tasks, such as cooking, cleaning, and dancing when they believe no one is watching. Or at least, that’s what the spies in Vishal Bhardwaj’s “Khufiya” are compelled to do as part of their job!
Loosely based on the novel “Escape to Nowhere” by Amar Bhushan, the 2023 film is a fictional story centered around RA&W agent Krishna Mehra (Tabu) who is tasked with uncovering the mole responsible for leaking India’s defense secrets. Set in the early 2000s, Khufiya unfolds in three different nations – Bangladesh, India and America. But despite the diversity of settings, the cinematography and world-building in “Khufiya” is quite straightforward, simple and realistic.
The movie commences with a nostalgic cinematic moment, featuring a misty rainy scene, accompanied by Tabu’s poetic voice-over as she describes a fellow agent, code-named Octopus. In a laudable casting decision, Bangladeshi actor Azmeri Haque Badhon portrays agent Octopus, who operates for the RA&W in Dhaka. Her mission is jeopardized due to the treachery of an insider. Indian authorities suspect Agent Ravi Mohan (Ali Fazal) of being the mole, and believe his wife Charu (Wamiqa Gabbi) to be hand-in-gloves with him.
Tabu delivers a flawless portrayal of the toughened agent as Krishna Mehra, leading a small team to surveil Ravi Mohan’s family, which also includes a preteen son and his spiritual mother. Thus begins an interesting game of espionage, lies, surprises and betrayals, which is sweetened by generous comedic moments in the otherwise tense drama. Last seen portraying the titular detective in Vishal Bhardwaj’s series “Charlie Chopra & The Mystery of Solang Valley,” Wamiqa Gabbi takes a sharp turn by playing a suspect in “Khufiya.” As the carefree Charu, Wamiqa delivers some of the film’s most amusing moments. Unaware of the surveillance, she dances with abandon to classic Bollywood hits within the confines of her home when she’s alone, offering comic relief not just to the audience but also to the officers spying on her. Ali Fazal on the other hand is quite the chameleon as Ravi Mohan, a doting dad and a self-claimed ‘patriot’, who is possibly selling his country’s secrets for easy cash. Navnindra Behl portrays Ravi’s elderly mother, an ardent devotee of a spiritual guru named Yaara ji, who frequently sings during his sermons. This provides Vishal Bhardwaj and his team with the opportunity to seamlessly incorporate two foot-tapping songs into the film.
While the first half of “Khufiya” is tightly knit and paced well, the plot begins to get a little too familial for a spy-thriller. A sub-plot about Krishna’s struggles with connecting with her teenage son after her divorce wasn’t necessary. We understand that emotional drama is a crucial ingredient for a Bollywood movie, but even the intelligence aspect of the story becomes somewhat silly. For instance, there’s a scene where a pivotal character needs to be drugged, so a mutton-based dish is spiked for them, and everyone at the dinner table invents absurd excuses to avoid eating it. How could that not raise suspicion? If it was done for comedy, it was ill-timed and not funny. The climax is underwhelming and falls short in comparison to the expertly woven web of lies and deceit prevalent throughout most of the film.
The final 15 minutes are so juvenile that it was almost embarrassing to witness the chaotic sequence of events. At a runtime of two hours and thirty-seven minutes, Vishal Bhardwaj’s “Khufiya” is a reasonably well-crafted espionage thriller, but the script could have benefited from more finesse to make it more gripping. Tabu is the film’s best ingredient and I would love to see her headline an entire spy series by herself, and Wamiqa Gabbi too shoulders Charu’s ever-evolving character with charm.
Watch “Khufiya” on Netflix is you are looking to stream a desi thriller.
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