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The narrative and the dialogues are realistic. Fine camerawork by Michal Luka—engrossing and focused, especially in dimly lit spaces—is a cherry on top of the icing. The performances are convincing, thanks to the limited screen space for Malhotra and Sinha, who are wooden in their execution
The best whodunnits leave you guessing till the end. That is the beauty of Abhay Chopra-directed Ittefaq, which rarely loses sight of the plot. Like its predecessor—Ittefaq (1969), starring Rajesh Khanna in the lead, with Nanda and Iftekhar in supporting roles—this movie too opens with speeding police vans, multiple murders, and a healthy dose of intrigue.
However, the similarities between the classic and the contemporary are far and few. Yes, the plotlines have some resemblance—both films involve double murders and suspects who are the victims of coincidences. In the classic version, a Murphy radio tuned in to akaashvani announces about the accused on the run. Here, India TV, blaring from a sleek television set, takes over as the chosen medium.
The writing is crisp, taut and engaging—traits we rarely see in Hindi films these days. Sidharth Malhotra, Sonakshi Sinha and Akshaye Khanna star in this flick.
Vikram Sethi (Malhotra), a famous UK-based writer, is on the run after being accused of his wife's death. After he meets with an accident, the wounded Vikram continues on foot. As the scene shifts, we see a terrified Maya (Sinha) leading the cops to her posh house where Vikram is discovered along with the corpse of Maya's husband Shekhar Sinha. He is now accused of double murder.
The case is handed over to Dev Verma (Akshaye Khanna), with a deadline of three days. Dev hears both Vikram and Maya's versions. Flashbacks, numerous in number and often redundant, are a major eyesore.
Khanna's character brings along a much-needed comic relief; Dev takes potshots at the suspects and his own partners in the police force.
The narrative and the dialogues are realistic. Fine camerawork by Michal Luka—engrossing and focused, especially in dimly lit spaces—is a cherry on top of the icing. The performances are convincing, thanks to the limited screen space for Malhotra and Sinha, who are wooden in their execution. Khanna, however, delivers one of his best performances. The background music is dull and commonplace, hardly adding to the intrigue.
Still, Ittefaq is a film that has enough suspense, drama, and humour, to make it worth a watch.
Film: Ittefaq
Director: Abhay Chopra
Starring: Siddharth Malhotra, Sonakshi Sinha, Akshaye Khanna
Stars: 3/5
