Talaash falls in that category of films which start a trend. Talaash in many ways is a trendsetter. Kudos to Amir Khan for putting his heart, mind and money into where his convictions lie.
Talaash is a taut narrative. The story might not be very innovative or path breaking but the execution is something that has not been seen before in the Industry. Right from the camerawork that introduces you to Mumbai, the music which accompanies Amir Khan’s state of mind so perfectly and the subtle acting by each of the actors. Never before has the industry seen something come so close to perfection. Watching the movie one gets the feeling that this is the exact way Reema Kagti / Amir Khan had envisioned the movie to turn out. It is a simple story executed to perfection.
The movie runs in two parallel storylines which converge beautifully in the end. Amir Khan plays Senior Inspector Surjan Singh Shekhawat, who is also a father dealing with the death of his young son. One can’t help but be impressed by the way Amir Khan has played both the roles impeccably. When he is conducting his investigation, he is tough as nails cop, staring down bad guys to submission and subordinates to order. When he is with his wife Roshni(Rani Mukherjee), he turns into a brooding father who blames himself for the death of his young son. A husband, who knows that he is not giving his wife her due, but can’t help it. The expressions and the dialogue delivery are par excellence. Rani Mukherjee as his wife doles out some predictable expressions of a grieving mother. Nothing much to say about her performance except in one instance when Amir Khan catches him with Frenny(played by theatre actress Shernaz Patel); who is a supernatural healer of sorts claiming to be talking to dead souls. She shouts back at him saying that’s her effort of gaining mental peace, as is his of roaming the streets at night.
Kareena Kapoor will remember this as one of the best performances of her career. She is so nuanced in her dialogue delivery and expression, that it seems ethereal. And credit to Reema Kagti for drawing out this performance. Thought Kareena is a grieving dead soul who is burning with retribution, she never has a frown or an evil expression on her face ever in the movie. This is what the industry has most likely never seen before. Kareena has given a nuanced performance. She owns each of the shots she is in and at times overshadows Amir Khan in the same frame. Her expressions reflect a layered mind; with an agenda at the back and a façade in the front. Kareena Kapoor – take a bow. Just one word for the actress – respect.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui is cementing his credentials with each performance. He manages to impress as the lame Taimur, a smalltime sidekick in love with a brothel girl beyond her prime and who is willing to take risks to earn enough money to win her love. Nawaz delivers a good performance but one gets the impression that the length of his role has suffered at the hands of whoever sat at the edit table. In the movie, his is another parallel story and he keeps coming and going at various points in the story without coherence. His appearance and disappearance is staccato and jarring.
A commentary on this movie will remain incomplete without a word about the music. The insightful and very pertinent lyrics by Javed Akhtar are well supported by Ram Sampath’s music. Each song is very relevant to the plot and Ram Sampath has really captured the mood of the sequence in each song. Be it ‘Muskaanein Jhooti hai’ which transports you to an era with clubs with live performances or ‘Jee Le Zara’ which feels like exhorting Amir Khan to come out of his personal sorrow and come to terms with reality.
Talaash is a taut thriller which keeps you occupied through the movie(though you might get some breather in the second half when Reema Takes time to delve into trying to show Surjan Shekhawat’s state of mind. The film really sets a trend which will be seen to be followed soon. Watch it for its performance, narration and the music.