Neeyat movie review: Director Anu Menon serves a bland murder mystery on the table which barely satisfy your taste buds craving for some smart thrills.
Cast: Vidya Balan, Ram Kapoor, Rahul Bose, Shahana Goswami, Neeraj Kabi, Shashank Arora, Amrita Puri, Dipannita Sharma, Niki Walia, Danish Razvi, Prajakta Kohli
Director: Anu Menon
Writers: Anu Menon, Advaita Kala, Priya Venkataraman, Girvani Dhyani, Kausar Munir (dialogues)
Quite early in the film, Ashish Kapoor, the colorful billionaire tells his friend’s film enthusiast son, “I want your footage to make me immortal,” as the latter sets out to explore the mansion. Off screen, director Anu Menon tries to pull off a similar stint with Neeyat. Sadly, the murder mystery falls short of becoming ‘immortal’ despite some talented names in its star cast.
What’s Yay: Shefali Shah’s cameo, cinematography
What’s Nay: Clumsy screenplay, dreary execution
Story
“It’s going to be a dark, stormy night.” The weather forecast plays out loud as Tanveer (Danish Razvi), the event manager at High Grave castle and his staff gears up to welcome the flashy billionaire Ashish Kapoor aka AK (Ram Kapoor) who arrives in a chopper. We learn that the man is hosting a birthday party for some close friends at this isolated Scottish castle.
After AK’s arrival, Tanveer’s voiceover gives us an introduction of the guests on the invitation list. There is AK’s close doctor-friend Sanjay Suri (Neeraj Kabi), his wife Noor (Dipannita Sharma) and their son (played by Madhav Deval). Interestingly, Noor is AK’s ex-flame. The other attendees on the guest list include AK’s loyal assistant Kay (Amrita Puri), his coke-headed stepson Ryan (Shashank Arora) and his girlfriend Gigi (Prajakta Kohli) who has a secret of her own, a healer named Zara (Niki Walia), AK’s current ladylove Lisa (Shahana Goswami) who is accompanied by one of his distant relative and Jimmy Mistry (Rahul Bose) who is AK’s good-for-nothing brother-in-law.
The party takes an unexpected turn when a CBI officer named Mira Rao (Vidya Balan) arrives at AK’s intimate birthday bash. It’s revealed that AK is actually a billionaire on the run after carrying out a fraud worth thousands of crores in India. Soon, the exiled billionaire makes an unexpected announcement at the dinner table.
As time proceeds, an unanticipated event causes AK to lose his temper and call his guests ‘leeches’ before huffing out of the mansion in the storm. Mira follows him, only to get struck by a blow on her head. When she regains her consciousness, she and the rest of the guests find the spread-eagled body of AK lying on the rocks.
While Zara claims that she saw AK jump off the cliff and there’s a discovery of a suicide note left by him, Mira is convinced otherwise. She dials up her detective mode which soon cause several secrets to tumble out in the open. As the body count rises, one of the guests exclaims, “We have a killer amongst us.” Will Mira nab the murderer before its too late?
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Direction
Anu Menon who has previously helmed movies like London, Paris, New York, Waiting and Shakuntala Devi, dabbles with the crime fiction genre for the first time with Neeyat. The names in the star cast are enough to heighten your anticipation. Unfortunately, the film turns out to be a classic case of ‘looks can be deceptive.’
To begin with, the plot isn’t juicy enough with riveting twists. Further, Menon simmers her whodunit on a slow flame which leaves the final product dry. Some of the ingredients (characters here) end up merely as red herrings. The director sprinkles a delicious cameo in the finale, but that isn’t enough to make her dish top-notch. Further, if you are an avid reader of Agatha Christie novels or have watched murder mysteries like Knife Out, you already know what’s coming your way.
Performances
Vidya Balan tries to pull off a desi Miss Maple in Anu Menon’s Neeyat. Sporting a deadpan expression and sans her charismatic smile, the actress makes things work to a certain extent. Unfortunately, the dusty screenplay doesn’t let her shine.
Ram Kapoor gets his game right and is fun to watch in the shady parts. Rahul Bose as the cocky Jimmy adds some humorous bits to the plot. Neeraj Kabi and Shashank Arora barely get anything meaty to chew. The girl squad which includes Amrita Puri, Prajakta Kohli, Shahana Goswami and Niki Walia perform what’s written on paper for them. Danish Razvi is passable as Tanveer. Shefali Shah’s cameo adds some sunshine to the otherwise dreary film.
Technical Aspects
Andreas Neo makes an excellent use of his camera to create a perfect setup for a cosy murder mystery. It’s a big win for the film. Adam Moss’ editing doesn’t keep you on the edge of your seats.
Music
Mickey McCleary’s music makes some heavy-weight contribution when it comes to setting the mood of the film. Thankfully, there is no unnecessary insertion of songs to add to the runtime of Neeyat.
Verdict
“I promise you aaj ka din bahut special hoga,” says a character to another before the film sets in action. Unfortunately, it doesn’t turn out to be one for the audience who were anticipating a clever crime thriller in Vidya Balan’s Neeyat. The film just disappears like a ‘poof’ when you step out of the theatre.
