Talaash: In Search of what lies within !

Let me begin with the pledge not to disclose the climax of Reema Kagti's "Talaash". I shall not ! Reviewing a movie as complex as "Talaash" is a tough job. It is a Suspense Thriller, a Psy-Fi Drama, a Supernatural Thriller, a Family Movie about relations and a first of it's kind in Indian cinema when it comes to the professional touch.

Let me not bother about the story at all because I want people to watch it and understand. Let me deal with characters instead as I would prefer to do most of the times.

Aamir Khan is Inspector Shekawat, a disturbed soul carrying the guilt of seeing his 8 year old son drown to death for which he holds himself responsible. He can't sleep and he talks to himself and people find him weird. But he believes his wife is suffering from depression and needs treatment and insists on her getting treated. He sees his own guilt reflected in the eyes of his wife [Rani Mukherjee] and their marriage is slowly and steadily collapsing. Aamir is absolute topnotch.

Rani Mukherjee plays Roshni Shekhawat, the mourning mother worried about her sleepless husband. She finds solace in a soothsayer Freny [Shernaz Patel] who brings her in contact with her dead son. The husband hates this and this further complicates the matter. A deglamorized Rani is as good as she always is.

Kareena Kapoor is Rosy, the most brilliant part of the movie. As the gorgeous and mysterious hooker spouting philosophy, she has reached the peak of her career. She bewitches the viewer and leads Shekhawat through the trail of an extremely difficult case declared to be open and shut accident case.

There are a host of characters who contribute to the narrative. But Nawazuddin Siddiqui playing Tehmoor is absolutely brilliant. He is the highlight of the movie. Raj Kumar Yadav is efficient as Aamir's understudy. Every single actor including the old lady walking through crowded South Mumbai roads looks the part. Well, even the dog in the opening sequence is brilliant.

It all begins with the "Accidental" death of a Bollywood Star Arman Kapoor [Vivaan Bhatena] and the investigation into the high profile case. The screen-play credited to Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar keeps dropping enough hints throughout to keep us guessing. Dialogues credited to Farhan Akhtar and Anurag Kashyap are simply straight and real time.

Ram Sampat's music is just right for the kind of movie this is. Editing [Anand Subaya] is of international standards. Quality of production and technical aspects are brilliant. On the whole, "Talaash" looks like a Hollywood thriller made in Hindi.

The flip side of the whole affair is Reema Kagti has left a lot for the viewers to think, imagine and correlate. The climax is not the kind of "Dhamaaka" the Indian audience loves where the "Hero" solves the mystery, throws a few punches and punchlines and walks in slow motion to a thundering applause. This is all about "search for what is within". Though I may not agree with the soothsayer and Rani talking to dead son parts, those parts have been shot brilliantly and don't jar.

My Opinion: Compulsorily take your brains to watch this one. If you're not following every moment with an analytical mind, you'll perhaps miss the plot and then feel bored. As I left the hall with the satisfaction of having watched one of the finest thrillers made in Indian cinema, I heard some people complaining about having wasted over 2 hours in "Talaash" of a "Laash" !