A good whodunit is all about mystery, suspense and a plot that keeps you hooked to the screen with its intriguing script. There are very few movies in Bollywood that keep you on the edge of your seat and you still can’t guess who the real culprit is. Well, debutant Abhay Chopra’s ‘Ittefaq’ is all about guessing the murderer until the end.
An adaptation of superstar Rajesh Khanna’s original film of the same name from 1969, this one stands up to the mark. And here’s the highlight: despite being inspired by Yash Chopra’s movie, the film has a different storyline.
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The first few minutes are enough to set the tone of this film. A rainy night, dark tone, mysterious background score, a wild chase between the police and the suspect and it is clear that it has all the elements of a noir film.
Plot
Dev (Akshay Khanna) is an investigating officer on a double murder case. But this case is twisted, the only witnesses are also the prime suspects in the case. Maya (Sonakshi Sinha) is a homemaker and Vikram Sethi (Sidharth Malhotra) is a famous writer. Both have their own version of that fateful night. Both the stories look very convincing but only one can be true. Now it’s up to Dev to figure out who is the real killer and what happened that night!
It’s difficult to have an opinion for a film like ‘Ittefaq’ without giving away any spoiler (but we swear no spoilers at all!). So here’s all why you should or shouldn’t watch this movie this weekend.
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1. Akshaye Khanna is on top of his game and takes away the entire spotlight. In fact, he is the perfect choice for Dev and no one could have done it better than him.
2. The confusion created via two different narration works totally in favour of the film, as you just want to know who the murderer is.
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3. In Dev’s word, there are three sides to this story: “Maya’s, Vikram’s and the truth”. The work of unveiling the truth pulls all your attention and we are SOLD!
4. Every time you have another dice rolling out, you make your own theories only to find you still have a lot to sink in.
5. By the time you are halfway through the film, the suspense reaches its peak and you find it difficult to wrap your head around what to believe and what not to.
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6. Having no music, just like the old film, is an interesting choice.
7. There comes a time when you feel you have seen all this before but that’s because of how the story takes time to settle. Dev’s old-style-one liners at times are just unnecessary. The interrogation process gets annoying because of the way it flows.
8. But all of this doesn’t take away the fact that director Abhay Chopra has dealt with this genre with an ease. Keeping the murder discussion light, he makes you believe in both the versions of the story, even though you know there is just one truth. That’s an exceptional job by the director we must say.
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9. Sonakshi and Sidharth have played their roles well but Akshaye Khanna’s stellar performance is all we can think of. We want to see him more in films; he is the real star of ‘Ittefaq’!
10. The real hero is the surprise revelation in the end.
Ittefaq is a gripping Bollywood film, which engulfs you completely leaving you at the edge of the seat.