Cast: Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Rani Mukherji
Talaash, as is common knowledge, is a suspense film but isn't supported with the complementing thriller genre. While it certainly is a who-dun-it, it isn't essentially an edge-of-the-seat experience. Director Reema Kagti intentionally chooses this treatment tone to lend individuality to the murder mystery. But the cinematic gratification is largely subjective.
The film starts with a car bumping off into the sea leading to the death of a film actor. What seems like a random road accident takes the shape of a murder mystery with Inspector Shekhawat (Aamir Khan) investigating the case. In personal life, Shekhawat is unable to come to terms with the untimely death of his son, for whom he holds himself responsible, thereby leading to a strained relationship with his wife (Rani Mukherji). Meanwhile he comes across Rosy (Kareena Kapoor), a sex worker who helps him make way into the case.
While the film gets to the point from the opening sequence, it takes its own sweet time to build up the suspense behind the case. Initially you don't care much about the case because both, the victim and the usual suspects, do not revolve anywhere around the central cast. Furthermore as the mystery unveils, the identity of the perpetrators is, in a way, made apparent to the audience. So the sense of suspense (so significant for this genre) seems sporadically suspended. Until when a final revelation is made, overpowering the intermediate conspiracy.
The basic narrative essentially involves two fundamental tracks - Shekhawat's professional investigation (murder of the filmstar) and his personal exploration (death of his son). While one expects the two tracks to contribute or correlate with each other to make it seem like one whole story, they run in parallel and largely stay independent of each other. They only connect in the epilogue where one is employed for the resolution of other.
Director Reema Kagti designs Talaash as a subtle suspense drama. There are no dramatic entries, no stylized action and mercifully even item numbers are avoided (despite the looming red-light area backdrop). Kagti doesn't restrict her film as a mechanical crime investigative flick but works towards adding a human touch to the drama. While that works occasionally, you certainly are in no mood to see Shekhawat suggesting rehabilitation to Rosy with banal lines like 'yeh jagah tumhare liye nahi hai'. It just doesn't go in sync with the genre. Also the long-drawn-out bonding track between Aamir and Kareena in the second half just adds to tedium. Somewhere around this time, you just don't know where the film is heading towards.
While the pacing is intentionally slow, the writing by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti is crisp and leaves behind enough join-the-dots clues to tease the perceptive viewer when the climactic disclosure happens. But a major letdown is that at its pinnacle, the film derives heavily from the Hollywood flick The Sixth Sense (1999). So even if the suspense might have not been predictable, there is a sense of betrayal. For loyal fans of the genre, the M Night Shyamalan film is a cult, thereby making the concluding shocker lead to a been-there-seen-that effect.
Aamir Khan is resourcefully restrained and is persuasive in his multifaceted character. While he is a commanding cop at work, he is a vulnerable man at home. Rani Mukherji is poised in her portrayal of a woman who has come out of a personal tragedy yet made to believe she is locked in it. She is wonderful in that one scene where she confronts her husband. Kareena Kapoor, despite the deliberate garish look, has an appeal but seems to be in the Chameli character hangover. Nonetheless she doesn't disappoint. Nawazuddin Siddiqui as the limp pimp is perfect in his part. Rajkumar Yadav makes for a convincing subordinate cop to Aamir.
There are some mystery elements in Talaash that will fascinate you even more on second viewing as you would be able to notice the finer nuances in the bigger scheme of things. However the bigger question is would you have the patience and proclivity to sit through the film again? Nevertheless, if you are not searching for the finest suspense film ever, Talaash is a good one-time watch!
Verdict: Good
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