“In a perfect whodunnit the identity of the murderer should not be easily guessed at the outset, although looking back there will have been unmistakable clues. The plot should be garlanded with so many red herrings and dead ends that the audience’s heads are spinning by the end anyway” writes Pamela Hutchinson on the Britain Film Institute portal.
ASHOK’s FIVE reviews “#RaatAkeliHai” just released on #NetflixIndia and starring #NawazuddinSiddiqui and #RadhikaApte. A classic whodunnit in the Noir category with clean frames, a small-town milieu and some excellent performances. Siddiqui plays Inspector Jatil Yadav who is helming a crime investigation of the murder of the patriarch of a family where every relative is stubborn and refuses to come clean.
1. #NawazuddinSiddiqui is a small man but carries the film on his shoulders. After the disaster that was Ghoomketu, he is in his elements here as Inspector Jatil Yadav. The name “Jatil” is interesting; it means complex and is the result of a clerical error in the records. And complex he is without doubt. His mother (#IlaArun) wants to get him married but his ‘rang is not saaf’. Notwithstanding this, she likens him to a persona no lesser than #AjayDevgn. And Yadav for his part sets out with to solve the crime, with a dash of Fair and Lovely on his face every morning! I think the one signature action that I ascribe to this pocket-sized dynamite is that vicious slap with his upper lip curled up ever so slightly and the film has its fair share of Siddiqui slaps to keep me going.
2. Director #HoneyTrehan says bye to his casting days (#Maqbool, #Omkara and #Fukrey and wears the hat of the debutant director. What he manages to do along with writer #SmitaSingh over the rather long film (2 hours 29 mins) is to create a sense of restlessness, tension and nervous energy as you watch the film.
3. #RadhikaApte is her usual adroit self as she plays the young widow in a family where patriarchy is deep-rooted. Inspector Jatil takes to her and while there is no romantic sequence as such, the chemistry is quite apparent. Jatil is the only one who believes that the case is not as simple as it looks. He tells Radha (Apte) repeatedly “Baahar ki duniya bahut kharab hai”.
4. Some smart editing by #SreekarPrasad and fabulous cinematography by #PankajKumar are the other hall-marks. Every frame is captured well with the rustic feel and the reddish hued lighting adding to the flavour.
5. #RaatAkeliHai also boasts a heavy-duty cast that includes #TigmanshuDhulia as the SSP Lalji Shukla, #AdityaShrivastava as MLA Munna Raja and #ShwethaTripathi as the daughter of the Thakur, the deceased patriarch. Others include #ShivaniRaghuvanshi, #PadmavatiRao, #NishantDahiya and #SwanandKirkire.
Its been quite a while since I have seen a crime investigation drama. #RaatAkeliHai has many things going for it but somehow, something doesn’t add up at the end. I am undecided if it’s the length or the lack of enough red herrings or the lack of deep characterisation but I will leave you to decide!
