Talaash…The Search Continues

You leave a screening of Talaash with only one impression – that of Aamir Khan’s portrayal of a tortured dad who happens to be an efficient cop.

That’s precisely both the strength and weakness of Reema Kagti’s second movie as director. A powerful actress like Rani Mukerji ends up being underutilized, not for want of screen time but for want of a stronger author-backed role. The one scene where she is pitted against her husband, Aamir as Inspector Surjan Shekhawat, she sparkles. But that’s the only scene she gets to make a mark.

Talaash, as I see it, was intended to be a relationship tale – one between a man and his wife who have suffered a monumental tragedy and another between a cop on duty and a sex worker who may hold a clue to a mysterious death. The investigation is a mere excuse to play out the relationship dynamics. Unfortunately, the husband-wife story suffers at the hands of the cop-sex worker story.

How I wish the movie had focused more on how the tragedy painfully unravels the once-happy man-and-wife relationship

Interestingly, Talaash also happens to be the first (if I’m not wrong) urban legend tale on the Bollywood screen. This is a familiar genre for those who are fed on Hollywood. Reema Kagti has sufficiently Indianised the genre but some of the characters, despite the impressive performances, are staple stereotypes from formula films. For instance, the crippled odd-jobs boy Taimur, the good-hearted sex worker Rosie, her ageing colleague, the nosy neighbour Frenny, the dangerous pimp Shashi, and his abused sex-worker girlfriend.

Talaash doesn’t give us any new characters or even a new take on stereotypes. Where the movie could have made a difference was in the relationship dynamics but that ends up lopsided.

The performances are the life of this film. Not one actor can be faulted – from Aamir, Rani, Kareena (who looks both carnal and ethereal) to a memorable Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and even Subrat Dutta, who looks convincing but has little to do. Talented veteran Shernaz Patel’s Frenny is the weakest link.

Ram Sampath’s soundtrack rises to its zenith in ‘Jiya Lage Na’ (a heartfelt composition) but the rest of it is strictly okay. ‘Laakh Duniya Kahe’ and ‘Hona Hai Kya’ have a pronounced Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy hangover.

Reema Kagti has made a watchable movie, no doubt, but one that needed more originality, a tauter pace and crisp editing (some scene transitions are jarring). Talaash is not tedious but its lazy tempo tends to test the audience’s patience.

And the twist in the tale is one I would have preferred to go without. If only all the characters had been kept real, the impact would have been far more immediate.

But this is, overall, a competently-made movie that deserves a watch. Talaash scores an 8 on 10. Do watch but don’t go with heightened expectations and you will be pleasantly surprised.