Khufiya Review: Tabu and Wamiqa Gabbi take the Vishal Bhardwaj film to another level

Film:
Khufiya

Platform: Netflix

Director: Vishal Bhardwaj

Starcast: Tabu, Ali Fazal, Wamiqa Gabbi, Ashish Vidyarthi, Navindra Behl, and Atul Kulkarni

Duration: 2 hours 37 minutes

Khufiya Review

After a very long time, I saw a thriller that was just right. A well-tailored narrative and a complex but easy-to-understand storyline clubbed with great performances make Khufiya a great watch. Though I feel the film’s duration is longer than what it should be for an OTT film, the story has its upheavals placed at the right points. In fact, Khufiya is so good that you won’t realize at what point you get engrossed in seeing Operation Brutus unfold.

As for the performances, I absolutely laud Vishal Bhardwaj for the casting. Tabu is simple perfection, but Wamiqa Gabbi is the real surprise package. She is so good in the film that you connect to her character very easily. And she takes you on an emotional ride. Ali Fazal also is good in his role, but he lacks impact. There are many places where his performance looks diluted.

Story of Khufiya

As the name suggests, Khufiya is a tale around the lives of agents from the RA&W highlighting not just their professional lives, but how that spilling into the personal space takes a toll. They are conducting operations to discover the mole within them that is betraying the country by selling defense secrets to other countries, especially the USA. While Krishna Mehra (Tabu) is a hands-on agent, this operation is not an easy one to crack, does she manage to is something you need to watch and find out? However, Charu (Wamiqa Gabbi) is the wife of the mole Ravi (Ali Fazal) who is under scrutiny by the RA&W. As the story progresses, they seem to discover being watched, what they do next, and how their lives change is again something you shall know when Khufiya streams on Netflix.

Highlights of Khufiya

1. Wamiqa Gabbi

For me, Wamiqa is the true star of the film. Her character arch is so interesting and she has gotten its nerve just right. Her emotional baggage to her strength, all of it grips you as a viewer. Honestly, Wamiqa as Charu is a treat to watch in the story.

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2. Tabu

I have always loved Tabu in cop avatars, be it Drishyam or Bholaa. And here as she plays an agent, she is just on point. Bringing her classic charm to the character, Tabu’s role in the film is most layered. It carries a dual personality, and she effortlessly juggles between them. From her passion for her job to her dilemma on the personal front, watching Tabu in the film is just a treat.

3. Storytelling

One of the strongest suits of Khufiya is its storytelling, though it has its twists and turns, they are so easily etched out. You follow the story through and through, the characters are weaved so well into the story that they all fit in just right. And as I said, the film has its emotional high points placed at the right spots, just when you expect a closure comes in a twist that keeps you hooked. I like how some Bollywood classics are so nicely incorporated into the story.

4. Ashish Vidyarthi & Navindar Behl

As the RA&W chief Ashish Vidyarthi has also done a brilliant job. But Navindar Behl was another surprise, she has played a grey character so well that you will become a fan. In fact, she even brings in a little humor into the story which is great.

Drawbacks of Khufiya

1. Duration

As mentioned above, the second half of the film is a little dragged, but it’s eased out with some twist. But for an OTT watch the film could have been made shorter. The episodes of personal life baggage could have been reduced to an extent, but honestly, they don’t affect the film so much.

2. Ali Fazal

Not a very strong drawback, Ali has done a good job in the film, just that he didn’t fit that well in the grey character. There were moments when he just couldn’t show the grit he would have needed, his underdog stance looked good, and sent out the right message too, but somewhere it lacked an impact. His character just doesn’t connect.

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Conclusion

Khufiya definitely should be on your watchlist for the weekend. It’s not a typical thriller, but still gives you the adrenaline rush at several moments. And it totally has the binge-watch element.

Also Read: Wamiqa Gabbi and Ali Fazal with director Vishal Bhardwaj attend the premiere of Khufiya, Tabu gives it a miss