Khufiya (5 Oct 2023)

Genre: Spy Thriller

Channel: Netflix

Language: Hindi

Duration: 157 minutes

Writer: Rohan Narula, Vishal Bhardwaj

Director: Vishal Bhardwaj

Cast: Tabu, Ali Fazal, Wamiqa Gabbi, Shataf Figar, Ashish Vidyarthi, Atul Kulkarni, Azmeri Haque Badhon, Navnindra Behl

Introduction:

Khufiya is based on the book Escape to Nowhere, penned by Amar Bhushan, a former R&AW official.

R&AW stands for the Research and Analysis Wing. It is the foreign intelligence agency of India.

The movie is timed around 2004, the post Kargil War period when spy agencies of India and Pakistan were working full time, trying to influence the election results of a neighboring country.

Plot:

The movie starts with the assassination of agent Hina Rehman (Azmeri Haque Badhon), a fresh Bangladeshi recruit and love interest of sharp senior R&AW operative Krishna Mehra aka KM (Tabu), at the hands of Brigadier Mirza (Shataf Figar), who was supposed to get killed by Heena as per the ongoing Project Octopus!

Being hundred percent sure that Heena's identity reveal is caused by an in-house mole, KM sniffs out her junior but efficient operative Ravi Mohan (Ali Fazal) and puts him and his life-loving cherubic wife Charu Mohan (Wamiqa Gabbi) under constant surveillance.

Eventually it's revealed that, in spite of signing the nuclear deal with India and being it's ally, CIA - the United States' international intelligence service, turns out to be the one puppeteering Ravi!

And working in cahoots with him is not his wife but aged mother Lalita Mohan (Navnindra Behl)!!

Just before KM could put in action Ravi's formal arrest, he gets wind of him being exposed. 

In a quick succession of actions, he packs his bags, kills a couple of nearby planted R&AW agents and flies off to South Dakota (USA) along with his kid son and mother.

Since Ravi was adamant to take Charu along and she was adamant to stay patriotic and stay back, to expedite the running, Ravi's mother hits Charu on the head with a big torch and even shoots her with a hand pistol!

Luckily KM and her team arrive on time and rush her for medical aid.

Past six months, Charu contacts KM and requests her to aid her in getting back her son in lieu of re-igniting the cold trail.

See the movie to find out how they - help each other to scoop out Ravi & family, let Charu win their trust and stay with them and eventually assassinate Brigadier Mirza, thereby bringing a closure to Project Octopus and KM's personal revenge!!

Analysis:

Primarily helmed by three women - Tabu (prime role), Wamiqa Gabbi (secondary role but more screen time) and Azmeri Haque Badhon (prime character in a miniscule role) and a man - Ali Fazal (meaty role performed with an overdose of good acting), Khufiya is an engrossing espionage tale with occasional thrills.

The director Vishal Bhardwaj has successfully created the required vibe of intrigue and double-cross with silent espionage in full bloom aka tailing, breaking & entering, planting cameras, long & silent monitor watching, exchange of object into multiple hands and the likes.

All of the aforementioned ladies are a treat to watch. 

It's amusing to see Wamiqa solo dancing to ’70s Bollywood songs, even in her lingerie and rolling & smoking a doobie when no one is around!

But her actions don't take forward the story in any manner and you miss the presence of lady-boss Tabu and wish there was a little more of bullish Azmeri in the movie.

Khufiya has sufficient quota of good parent son bondage. The one between Ravi & his mother, the one between Charu & her son and the one between KM's ex husband Shashank Mehra (Atul Kulkarni) and their teenage son - all of them have a distinct flavor and have been depicted beautifully.

Surprisingly, the movie has mentions of ISI, the Pakistani intelligence agency but their active operation is not shown as such. Rather, there are few scenes featuring CIA officials, which come across as plain vanilla and quite rushed!

The climax scene with rogan josh on the dining table occupied by entities from three nations with the danger of life looming above their heads is quite effective.

Conclusion:

Khufiya is not exactly a thriller but it has a lovely ensemble cast and inimitable Vishal Bhardwaj brand of direction.

You can watch it.