'Khufiya' Movie Review: Vishal Bhardwaj and Tabu’s lyrical spy thriller fails to thrill

As one of the rare mainstream Hindi film directors whose films are inspired by literature, any new creation by Vishal Bhardwaj is eagerly awaited by his legions of fans. For connoisseurs of cinema, Bhardwaj’s Maqbool, Omkara and Haider – all Shakespeare-inspired masterpieces - inevitably make it to the ‘best of Hindi cinema’ lists.

Unfortunately, consistency is not Bhardwaj’s virtue as some of the more recent works in his filmography indicate. Matru ki Bijlee ka Mandola (2013), Rangoon (2017) and Patakha (2018) are examples of great ideas and avant-garde filmmaking being spoilt by either over-indulgence or a weak narrative. His latest, Khufiya, released on Netflix, joins this not-so-illustrious list. And that’s an absolute tragedy considering this film, more than any other, held so much promise since it brought together Bhardwaj and his muse, Tabu. The Shakespeare reference is littered throughout the film, from characters being codenamed Brutus and Portia to a theatre scene featuring a scene from Julius Caesar, but the brilliance of these inspirations do not permeate the story!

Adapted from Amar Bhushan’s espionage novel Escape to Nowhere, Khufiya features Tabu as Krishna Mehra or KM, a R&AW operative on a mission to expose a mole in the agency, under the direction of her boss Viraj Surve (an excellent Ashish Vidyarthi). Unlike the flamboyant, chest-thumping patriotism of filmy spies that Bollywood has served us of late, Tabu’s Krishna is measured, grounded and serious – a refreshing change indeed!

The screenplay humanises her. Krishna’s been leading a double life, one of a spy and two, that of a lover. Her personal secret is revealed early on and it is the trigger for her to go on the hot trail of the afore-mentioned mole, Ravi Mohan (Ali Fazal). Though her mission endangers the lives of Ravi’s wife, Charu (Wamiqa Gabbi) and impacts her own relationship with her estranged husband (Atul Kulkarni) and 19-year-old son, Krishna’s bigger challenge is to conquer her inner conflict.

Khufiya is touted as a spy thriller but Bhardwaj and Rohan Narula’s screenplay does not choose to demonise a country (thankfully!) or indulge in gimmicky nationalism which is the flavour of the season. In fact, the film is not as much about geo-politics as it is about Krishna’s personal journey. And Tabu, as the tormented officer, is phenomenal. Whether she is an apologetic mother, guilty of ignoring her son or a woman in love, too scared to own up to her real self or a hard-nosed agent making a ‘deal’ with another, Tabu just chews up the scene and the scenery.

She is ably supported by a brilliant cast. Standing up to her performance is Wamiqa Gabbi who conveys Charu’s innocence and angst evocatively. The charming Ali Fazal is fabulous but suffers from an under-written role; his motivations for his actions just don’t resonate. Another surprise package is Bangladeshi actress Azmeri Haque who makes a confident Bollywood debut.

Technically, every aspect is perfect, be it the rousing background score or the moody Delhi ambiance captured beautifully by DOP Farhad Ahmed Dehlvi. The music, credited to Bhardwaj with lyrics by Gulzar is as poetic as you can expect from this collaboration, with a couple of cool songs (and a cameo) by Rahul Ram from the legendary Indian band, Indian Ocean.

Stars: 2.5/5