Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5 for ‘Khufiya.’
Introduction
Vishal Bhardwaj’s latest offering, the Netflix thriller ‘Khufiya,’ stars Tabu and Ali Fazal in a film that falls short of its thrilling promise. While the trailer showed potential, the film itself disappoints. Bhardwaj, known for his masterful adaptations like ‘Haider’ and ‘Omkara,’ fails to recreate his magic in ‘Khufiya.’
The film, adapted from Amar Bhushan’s book ‘Escape to Nowhere,’ claims to be inspired by two real stories. Tabu plays R&AW agent Krishna Mehra (KM) and recruits Bangladeshi actress Azmeri Haque Badhon’s character, Octopus, for a mission. However, things take a mysterious turn during the mission, revealing an infiltrator within R&AW. Ali Fazal’s Ravi Mohan and his family, including his wife Chaaru (Wamiqa Gabbi), become prime suspects.
‘Khufiya’ struggles with a convoluted narrative that attempts to juggle exposing a spy, political references, and an engaging plot. Clocking in at a lengthy 2 hours and 37 minutes, the film feels overstretched. Several scenes, including a needless montage song in the second half, could have been edited out. Unlike ‘Haider,’ which effectively conveyed its commentary on Kashmir, ‘Khufiya’ lacks its own distinctive voice.
A spy thriller should be tense and gripping, but ‘Khufiya’ falls short in this regard. Azmeri Haque Badhon’s performance stands out, but the script fails to live up to its potential. While Wamiqa, Ali Fazal, Ashish Vidyarthi, and Tabu deliver credible performances, the film’s storyline disappoints.
After a promising start, ‘Khufiya’ gradually loses its focus and fails to deliver on the suspense that one expects from a spy thriller.
In summary, ‘Khufiya’ may not live up to the expectations set by its trailer, and despite a talented cast, it misses the mark as a compelling spy thriller.