Director: Ribhu Dasgupta
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Vidya Balan, Sabyasachi Chakraborty, Padmavati Rao
Ratings: 4 Stars
The ghost of Kahaani romps around unmistakably in Te3n, an intense, psychologically engaging crime drama. After all not only Sujoy Ghosh the producer of this film, it is also, like the earlier film, set in Kolkata. But this smartly packaged adaptation of the 2013 Korean hit Montage bears a sufficiently strong stamp of originality. The film is, moreover, enlivened by fine performances by the three principal members of the cast led by Amitabh Bachchan. Set in Kolkata, “TE3N” is an astutely mounted, suspense filled, investigative drama. It is the closure of a kidnapping case that occurred eight years ago.
Director Ribhu Dasgupta’s sophomore effort his first film, Michael, starring Naseeruddin Shah and also set in Kolkata, slipped through the cracks of Mumbai’s distribution system and never saw light of day is marked by an impressive sense of place and human emotion. Ever since John Biswas (Amitabh Bachchan) loses his eight-year-old granddaughter Angela Roy in a tragic kidnapping incident, he has been depressed and guilt ridden, for he is blamed for a crime he has no hand in. He visits the Lal Bazar police station daily, to meet the officer Sarita Sarkar (Vidya Balan), seeking an update and thus hoping for a closure. With the case not making any headway, John also hounds the then investigative officer Martin Das (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), who has now left the police force and become a priest. Once, while in the market, John stumbles upon a little girl wearing a cap, which Angela had worn when she was kidnapped. This sets John on the search trail once again and ignites his hope for justice. But it is only when another child, Ronnie, is kidnapped and a similar sequence of events that happened during Angela’s case follow, that the investigating officer Sarita reopens old case files and seeks Martin’s help and intervention.
How the trio investigates the case and solves the mystery, forms the crux of the tale. The police officer is charge of the case, Sarika Sarkar (Vidya Balan), and John’s ailing wife Nancy (Padmavati Rao) exhort him to move on with his life. Their entreaties have no effect on him. The riveting plot and brilliant performances are what keep you hooked. Amitabh, with his awkward gait and open mouth, makes a remarkable effort to keep John Biswas distinct and different from his “Piku” character, which too was of a Bengali septuagenarian. He is convincing and shines as the distraught grandfather.
The renewed hunt for the kidnapper launched by Sarita Sarkar draws into its vortex all the key characters amid a string surprising twists and turns. Te3n does not depend on conventional narrative momentum for effect. It relies instead on subtle cat-and-mouse games that lead up to an intriguing, if somewhat predictable, climax. The film is made all the more riveting by the quality of the acting. Amitabh Bachchan throws all his weight behind etching out the troubled but tenacious character of John Biswas. The result is often spellbinding. Nawazuddin is effortlessly natural and gets into the character of Martin Das. Vidya, credited for a guest appearance, offers nothing exceptional. Sabyasachi Chakraborty as Manohar Sinha, Ronnie’s grandfather, is perfunctory, despite his strong screen presence. Prakash Belawadi as Manohar’s colleague is wasted. Padmavati Rao in the wheel-chair, as John’s wife Nancy, holds her own against Amitabh, in a miniscule role.
The background score by Clinton Cejero merges well with the visuals and adds pace to the narrative. Te3n is an edgy, intelligent thriller that proffers more than just superficial thrills. It abjures the conventions of the genre and delivers a cinematic experience that is rich and rewarding. While the storytelling is top notch for the most part, in technical terms, too, Te3n belongs right up there with the best that Bollywood can offer. It’s Must watch Film for all the Big B lovers.
