Khufiya Movie Review – A Vishal Bhardwaj movie starring Tabu, Wamiqa, Ali Fazal, and Ashish Vidyarthi is more of a human drama than a spy thriller. Tabu leads the show from start to finish, with an impressive ensemble cast. Wamiqa is her usual self, transitioning from a chirpy wife to a determined mother.
The movie is pacy and keeps you engaged, especially in the first half. Towards the end, it loses its grip a bit. Two performances and characters stand out. Azmeri Haque Badhon, a Bangladeshi actress, gives authenticity and does justice to her character. You end up feeling that her character could have been given more screen time. The second is a surprise, so I won’t mention it here. Watch out for a seemingly harmless and fragile character suddenly throwing her façade and looking ominous, leaving you in shock and disbelief.
As soon as the trailer dropped, there was a lot of curiosity. Yet one must admit that the trailer is better than the movie. Since the trailer raised expectations, and you wanted slightly more, songs are a trademark of Vishal Bhardwaj movies. And here, “Mat Aana” sung by Rekha Bhardwaj ticks the box, a soulful and hummable song, almost countering “Ranzish hi Sahi”. A treat for music lovers. Although everyone did justice to their characters, Ali Fazal somehow doesn’t convince you in the role of a spy. His character could have been explored a bit more, as there was a lot of scope in it.
The movie is a little over two and a half hours and could have easily been a web series. Perhaps the impact could have been greater with the scope of a few more episodes, allowing the makers to develop the characters. “Charlie Chopra,” which is streaming on Sony Liv, also comes from the same team and is a good adaptation of Agatha Christie’s novel. Khufiya is a good one-time watch, or perhaps two, to appreciate the ensemble cast’s acting skills and to absorb the display of human emotions. Ali Fazal’s character appears weak, perhaps because Vishal is known for creating strong women characters, and in this film, we have four of them. While we may have to wait for the implementation of the women’s reservation bill for a few more years, through Khufiyia, Vishal Bhardwaj has already given them a majority, and we aren’t complaining.
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