Review: Te3n is a nail-biting thriller

***1/2

With a power packed cast of Amitabh Bachchan, Vidya Balan and Nawazzudin Siddiqui this thriller directed by Ribhu Dasgupta is an official remake of the Korean film Montage.  The rights of the film were purchased by Sujoy Gosh.

The film begins with a quick recap of the murder of John Biswas’s (Amitabh Bachchan) granddaughter Angela Roy who was kidnapped for ransom. We are brought into present day where John is still seeking justice for his granddaughter. He visits the police station every day and listens to audio tapes of the kidnappers every night. Even as his wife thinks he has lost it, John’s guilt of not being able to save his granddaughter is so overpowering that it leads him on a trail to lookout for the murderer. He looks for cues, one by one and starts connecting the dots. En route, he even parts away with his precious possession, his scooter.  In parallel frames, an Angela type kidnapping takes place in Kolkata again. There is so much similarity in the two cases that Sarita Sarkar (Vidya Balan), the cop in-charge is forced to seek help from Father Martin Das (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) who handled the Angela case and who later turned into a priest due to his guilt. The two crimes are shown side by side and so is John’s investigation. At interval, there is a huge twist which keeps you asking for more. Will the police succeed in nabbing the kidnapper this time around? Will the kid be saved? Most importantly, will John get justice? The film tries to answer these questions.

The biggest pro and con of the film is its pace. With parallel scenes, it gets so slow that you want to know more and know it soon. At the same time, the slow pace keeps you wanting to know more. Another advantage, which is a given is the threesome cast of the film. In a never seen before combination, each one of them empowers the screen with their presence and intensity. Even when they are together, they do not take away the other’s space. Amitabh Bachchan is known for giving his 100% and this one isn’t different. He looks like the loving grandfather who is defeated by fate and guilt. He has also tried his hand at cinematography for one of the videos shown in the film of the grandparents playing with Angela. It was reported that he personally shot the video on a phone for adding a touch of reality into it. Nawazuddin on the other hand doesn’t fit the role of a priest and that’s what his role demands- fitting the role of a cop and not of a priest. Vidya speaks volumes with her facial gestures while dealing with both John and Martin.  We have seen Big B do a similar thriller Wazir off late. A word of caution for those in the know, Wazir had a similar twist and therefore this film may not hold a lot of surprises for such people. Even Vidya has done a similar gripping thriller Kahani in the past.   

Ribhu has brought the Victorian era buildings of Kolkata to life through his film. In fact, this is the first time a Bollywood film has been shot at Writer’s Building, Kolkata. The streets of Kolkata, the age old scooter and his knack of paying attention to the minutest details in the film is what Ribhu definitely needs to be credited for.  Some scenes are acts of genius on his part e.g. the scene where Sarita and Martin catch hold of the kidnapper and Martin starts looking for hand-cuffs in his pocket and suddenly realizes he is no more a cop; the scene where Martin almost confesses to Sarita about his affection for her etc.

The lyrics of the film are written by Amitabh Bhattacharya and the music is composed by Clinton Cerejo. The background score and the songs are not excellent but go well with the pace of the film. The song Kyun Re in the voice of Big B himself is touching and depicts his plight. 

Even with all the pluses of a thriller, the film is not without glitches. The tenacity and ease with which John trespasses houses and carries out his investigation is ridiculous. Then there are unanswered questions like- why Te3n? The film doesn't answer this question directly although it can be related to the three people in the quest of a criminal.

For now, I would highly recommend this film for all thriller lovers. It makes a good watch and use of your time. Cut your nails if you don’t want to end up eating them!

Reviewed by- Dolly Bolly