i slept for one hour

Ever since 2012 started one of the most awaited films was "Talaash", which wasn't surprising at all considering the quality of work Aamir Khan churns out every time he appears on the big screen. Almost three years have flown by since he last appeared in a commercial venture with "3 Idiots", which to date still holds the record of being the highest Bollywood grosser ever. As always the expectations are sky high & the intriguing promos has just increased it further. So can the film replicate the success of "3 Idiots"???

"Talaash" unfolds with the death of young superstar, Armaan Kapoor (Vivan Bhatena) as he drives his car onto the pavement & plunges into the icy sea. Inspector Suraj Singh Shekhawat (Aamir Khan) gets entrusted with the investigation, but little did he realise that it was just the beginning of a labyrinthine scenario. The more he searched, the murkier it became & having to fight with his inner demons over his son's death, his life became a living hell. His son's death sucked out the life & spirit of his married life with Roshni (Rani Mukherjee) & the only emotional solace that he obtained was from Rosy (Kareena Kapoor), a sex worker whom he had met during the investigation. So will Shekhawat's search for the truth & inner peace bear fruit???

After a mediocre directorial debut with "Honeymoon Travels", Reema Kagti is back behind the camera with this latest offering. Along with Zoya Akhtar, she has weaved an impressive script which blends together various emotional & suspense elements. From a personal point of view, I found the first half & a major portion of the latter half brilliant; but the climax wasn't quite upto my expectations. However, Reema Kagti has to be applauded for executing this genre of film so impressively. Equally praise worthy were Mohanan's visuals which captured the stark under belly of Mumbai realistically & Ram Sampath's music which was in sync with the mood of the movie.

There are no words to describe Aamir Khan who as always comes up with a power packed performance portraying Shekhawat with elan as a person who is brooding over his loss & getting suffocated fighting his inner demons. Both Kareena & Rani were impressive in their respective roles & contributes to the film without being over shadowed by Aamir. Actually the casting of the film was spot on with hardly any weak links; however a couple of them deserves special mention like Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who was brilliant & Rajkumar Yadav, who deserves a pat on the back.

Verdict: Being an Aamir Khan film the box office bells are likely to ring like crazy in the first couple of days. It will be a hit for sure as it will have a wonderful run in the metros & overseas, however the single screens are unlikely to relive the magic of "3 Idiots". The primary reason for that being many of the audience wont be able to relate with the climax but still it's a praise worthy effort to tackle this genre. In short, definitely give it a try!!!

Rating: 3.5/5

Regards...Ben

Well, well. No pretensions. No attractions. But a heart-touching story that is told as it is. It hits the bull’s eye and stays in the heart. For it is our story. If anyone deviates from it, there are consequences to bear in this life itself or in the hereafter. There is the reality and the unreal. There is seen and the unseen. And there is dead and the visibly alive. I had seen Madhumati (1958). I thought no other actor apart from Dilip Kumar have lived that role but the movie belonged to the ghost. I saw Talaash (2012). I know no other actor apart from Aamir Khan could have dared bring to life this role. Two stories run parallel. One is a happy ending and the other has been untimely and brutally snuffed out. It is seeking justice and a CLOSURE. God is not far-away to help achieve this end. This world is a temporary abode. Every soul must pay for his/her ill/good-deeds. God will help even the damned to implement it. In His eyes, all r equal. Everyone, who is born must taste death. Aamir Khan’s cop character Surjan Singh Shekhawat loses his only son to an untimely death in a watery hole. He blames himself for being unable to save him drowning. The grief has snatched even the smallest of pleasures in his life and created a rift between him and his equally grieved and coming-to-terms-with-the-loss wife Roshni (Rani Mukherjee). Roshni finally believes a séance-holder (Shernaz Patel), who contacts her son’s soul and son says he is happy. Aamir doesn’t believe in supernatural stuff. For he is the living (dead).

And then a superstar Armaan Kapoor (Vivan Bhatena) meets his untimely watery death. Surjan has to crack the case that hasn’t left any clues. In walks a female e-scort Rosie (Kareena Kapoor), who knows everything but has her own limitations. Her aloofness mesmerises Surjan. Inevitably he is attracted to her. In walks a ghost Simran too, who is seeking justice. Some people don’t have a hold on their own lives. Others lead them like animals and let them die untimely unnatural brutal death. Simran too has been a victim of someone’s lust and murder. She has been left to die unattended. And there is no record of her death. For she was a mere sex-worker and the law does not even recognize sex trade so forget the sex-worker. But above all human man-made laws is the law of God. And God won’t let even a vulnerable, defenceless and innocent soul go without justice. Does Simran succeed in getting her revenge and justice? All rascals think they can do anything they like and get away with it but the actual CONTROLLER is surveying everything and he pushes the buttons. We are mere puppets. And then there is CLOSURE. The tormented soul is satisfied with the result and leaves this world peacefully. Surjan too accepts his son’s death and that he is indeed happy in the other world. This much was the life span God had given his son. There is CLOSURE for Surjan too. He can move ahead in life thus reuniting with his wife. He understands life a little better now.

I would've certainly given this movie a higher rating if I didn't feel cheated in the end! While I was waiting for the finale to surprise me, it disappointed by falling back on a supernatural scheme. I don't want to add any more spoilers, but let's just say breaking into a different genre in the last 10 minutes of the film gives the audience a very hard pill to swallow. I'd much rather accept a convoluted logic behind a mystery as long as it's a plausible one.
The performances are all very good. Kareena is beautiful.