This movie review contains spoilers.
Oversimplifying a complex story may ring the death knell for a movie, and Talaash is the kind of film that worries it might not be understood by the people who will make Dabangg 2 a superhit/blockbuster. So uneasy is Reema Kagti’s latest about how it will (or won’t) be interpreted, that Talaash, at every step, explains every move it makes.
A dour cop who blames himself for his son’s death that came about in a freak accident, investigating the killing of a film star in a bizarre mishap, finds leads in conversations with a hooker. Intense till the end, Aamir Khan shows little sensitivity to his traumatized wife, and she connects with her dead son through a medium. The one time you do feel for the man is as he replays his final moments with his son, giving the scene alternate endings that would have prevented the tragic blow.
Kareena Kapoor plays herself looks quite happy in the role of a prostitute, and she drops hints so often that it becomes obvious to the viewer that something is highly unusual about her, apart from the fact that she’s great at playing a whore. More forgettable characters find themselves embroiled in Talaash, as the cop and hooker duo takes you to seedy brothels and blackmailing pimps, of which, Nawazuddin Siddiqui limps his way through the film with remarkable ease.
Ridiculous as most will find it, I have no problem with the twist: no one said a whore can’t be a ghost – but what keeps me from liking this suspense-turned-horror is the whore-bag being shown underwater to make it very clear to the viewer that it is a good ghost seeking revenge from the guilty. It is this just-in-case-you’re-too-dumb-to-get-it business along with its Bollywood treatment that’s supposed to make the movie easier to swallow that keeps Talaash from being a wholly enjoyable film even as a one-time watch.
RATING: 2.5/5
Must See: Aamir, Salman and Shah Rukh | ‘Don’t Say We Didn’t Warn You’
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