There is definitely luster in Ittefaq which depends heavily on its plot about two murders that take place within the span of a few hours. Lead man Sidharth Malhotra plays a thriller writer who is accused of both the murders which are being investigated by a smart-Alec cop (Akshaye Khanna). It is a pleasure to see Khanna act on screen mimicking his role previously seen in Mom (2017), and Malhotra surprisingly follows-up with a charming performance after a laudable work in Raj and DK's "A Gentleman" earlier this year. But none of these help this crime thriller from revealing its textbook style of manipulation. It is obvious from the first frame that you are going to experience few twists and turns in this whodunit, but for the film to succeed, it needs impeccable attention to details and minimized plot holes. However, both these factors stare at your face when you think about it - especially in the last 20 minutes. Sonakshi Sinha is thankfully not annoying but her portrayal of this lonely housewife who does more than household chores during her day time is not entirely convincing. Maybe her character is written like that, but Sinha's mediocre acting chops glaringly show. Director Abhay Chopra has carved a thriller that is inspired by Hollywood flicks that we enjoy but a bit more tightness and attention to details to cover the goof-ups would have made it a more worthwhile experience. Right now, you can appreciate Ittefaq for its cast, the slightly interesting plot, and a smooth cinematography. TN.

November is here & this month boasts of some impressive movies lined up that I have been eagerly looking forward to for quite a while. Among them is "Ittefaq" which has hit the screens this weekend & has got Akshaye Khanna in the lead along with Siddharth Malhotra & Sonakshi Sinha. Interestingly, it is produced by SRK & Karan Johar among others; & from the looks of it, it seems like a stylized murder mystery. So will it do justice to the genre that it proclaims & give our money's worth???

The story unfolds on a rainy Mumbai night with the police hot on the heels of Vikram Sethi (Siddharth Malhotra), acclaimed writer based in Britain; for the suspected murder of his wife. He had flown down to Mumbai along with his wife for the launch of his second book, but before that event could materialize, his wife gets murdered in the hotel. Naturally Vikram was the prime suspect & that argument bore weight when he evade the polices. He eventually meets with an accident & seeks shelter in an upscale apartment which belonged to the lawyer, Shekhar & his wife, Maya (Sonakshi Sinha). Soon enough, the police tracks him down & discover Shekhar being murdered in the residence. The case was entrusted upon Inspector Dev Verma (Akshaye Khanna) & he had to solve both the murders in the span of three days. Even though, the initial circumstantial evidence painted Vikram to be the culprit; it wasnt exactly an open & shut case especially since both Vikram & Maya narrated different versions as to what transpired in the apartment. So were both the murders mere coincidence or was it connected???

The project has been helmed by debutant Abhay Chopra, who as some of you guys might have suspected belongs to the famed Chopra lineage. So it's quite natural for him to be influenced by his accomplished relatives which might be the reason why he had decided to remake Yash Chopra's (uncle) "Ittefaq" (1969). The basic premise is the same except for a couple of changes that Abhay has incorporated in the screenplay. Even though it has a running time of just 107 minutes, the early part is rather sluggish as the script fails to impart the urgency. However, the latter half picks up the pace & culminates in a predictable yet thrilling climax. Michal Luka's frames were exquisite while Nithin Baid's editing could have been crisper.

Akshaye Khanna was fantastic as the cop which he underplays it convincingly both in his body language & dialogue delivery. The same cant be said about the other two leads namely Siddharth & Sonakhi. The former looked rather unsure early on & lacked conviction, but from the second half onwards he was bang on in conveying his emotions. However, Sonakshi's role didnt quite have any variations which meant it was a rather one dimensional performance that wont make the audience connect.

Verdict: The genre & lack of huge stars, invariably means it will be a slow mover at the box office. Whatever it manages to garner will be solely based on whether the audience were hooked onto the murder mystery. Frankly speaking, it's a movie that deserves praise for the effort it has gone into it as it will surely interest the audience for large parts. In short, give it a try!!!

Rating: 2.75/5

Regards...Ben

#Ittefaq : In general,when ‘vikram’ meets ‘maya’, one can think of blossoming of love,culmination of souls,some cuddling and a happy ending.. but here,when vikram( a writer played by the former ‘gentleman’Siddhartha malhotra) meets maya ( former noor played by sonakshi sinha), it all goes upside down...an outrage,blood bath,lies,plotting,betrayal and suprisingly a shocking denouement....
ITTEFAQ is a who dun it suspense thriller...two murders...two plotters, two versions...one link ....and one vyomkesh bakshi( played brilliantly by Akshay Khanna) and 3 days to find the offender...pre interval, it takes time to introduce characters and some of the sequences are stretched long..unnecessary pauses halts the films growth..post interval, it speeds up unlike our courts and tries to nab the culprit..script is solid and throughout its run,it cues u to make u feel that u have almost found the sinner and for very next moment it pushes u back into the oblivion..what I liked the most is ,it runs on the backdrop of Mumbai’s RAIN which gives the whole script an upward push,an atmosphere of immersive experience and I must mention that it is the LAST 15 MINUTES OF the MOVIE WHICH MAKES THIS OTHERWISE AN OK FLICK TO A DECENT WATCH..Go and find the sinner...may be it would make u a little lesser...
P.S: this movie is all by coincidence in its glory..that’s why ITTEFAQ...

Ittefaq is a very witty, thrilling, taut and well-acted whodunnit mystery film which sustains well post-interval which nowadays most films do not. Akshaye Khanna shines brightly at the centre of this jigsaw and he's ably supported by Sid and rest of the support cast (Special mention to one who played the constable). Abhay Chopra shines in his directorial debut and is likely to become a big director in the future. The film is also short and doesn't have any songs in it, making the script watertight, crisp also nd effecient. It is shot beautifully and the (background) music by Tanishk Bagchi works.
There are a few negatives, though. Sonakshi doesn't work very well in looking mysterious and the films non-linear narrative feels repetitive and confusing. But you can just watch the movie for the climatic twist at last and you'll be impressed. Would've given it 4 stars but the extra half star is purely for that man who never fails to impress - Akshaye Khanna. I wonder why doesn't make films more often.