A wealthy businessman invites his close friends and family to a beautiful Scottish castle near London for his birthday celebrations. Things get out of hand as he decides to declare his surrender and is slain immediately after. A CBI officer begins the task of locating his killer throughout the night but soon discovers the problem goes much beyond one murder. Scroll down to read Neeyat Movie Review.
Neeyat Movie Review:
Star Cast: Vidya Balan, Ram Kapoor, Amrita Puri, Rahul Bose, Shahana Goswami, Neeraj Kabi, Shashank Arora, Prajakta Koli, Niki Walia, Danesh Razvi, Dipannita Sharma and ensemble.
Director: Anu Menon
What’s Good: The deft use of an experienced actor to convey a story while having her downplay herself to reveal that things are about to get very crazy.
What’s Bad: Some dialogue and directing decisions are very convenient and end up giving things away. Additionally, the overly theatrical acting performances become excessive.
Loo Break: There is a testing section, but it isn’t long enough to give you enough time to use the loo. Utilize the gap.
Watch or Not?: If solving mysteries is your thing, you shouldn’t miss it. Don’t have too high of hopes, though.
Language: Hindi.
Available On: In Theatres Near You.
Runtime: 132 Minutes.
Script Analysis
A whodunit is never just a movie; it’s a dialogue between the audience and the characters who are arguing their points. Since everyone is now so invested in the process, the fourth wall eventually starts to blur. However, there is a subgenre within the world of thrillers and whodunits where the movie ties the audience to their seat and forces them to live the mystery. The latter is what Neeyat, which features Vidya Balan as the lead, accomplishes, and it even succeeds—until it decides to play with the lines.
To answer the initial query that everyone had, Neeyat is not a remake of Knives Out. Anu Menon, Girvani Dhyani, Advaita Kala, and Piya Venkatraman collaborated to write the screenplay, which draws inspiration from the Chris Evans-Ana de Armas blockbuster but tells a different tale that isn’t a straight parody of the Rian Johnson film. The strength of Neeyat lies in its decision to let the ridiculousness of the suspects take center stage while keeping its lead largely in the shadows. Although they reside in a spotless castle, their borderline stupidity stands out. They are extremely evil individuals that believe they are saviors.
The team wants you to see the trip rather than being adamant about getting you to the conclusion, where the full crux lies. It takes a full 30 minutes to introduce the characters and demonstrate how morally bankrupt and irrational they are. Menon plans to use the exploring absurd rich’s foolishness to kill them, then have one of the have-nots reign over them while catching the true offender. It even succeeds because the characters are given appropriate weight, and the main hooks are an event planner and a CBI officer, both of whom are outsiders.
Neeyat’s unexpected turns succeed in part due to the natural hilarity that emerges from the writing without undermining the gravity of the issue. Where it falters, however, is when the interrogation kind of takes a clichéd turn and a suspect conveniently escapes by coming up with an impossible scheme. Astonishingly, Kausar Munir is given credit for dialogues that appear to have been prepared on the set. This is equally unsatisfactory. The last act’s conversation between Ram and Vidya leads to a satisfying climax, yet the conversation is so strange and convenient that it seems like a shortcut was needed and taken.
The climax also crosses a line where it almost kills the charm and mystery with too much explanation, but a stellar cameo and a post-credit scene fix everything.
Star Performance
Vidya Balan is all too familiar with the art of playing the game, even from the sidelines. She excels at underplaying herself, which is difficult for an actor of her height to achieve. This may appear to be a dull act to others, but it works in this circumstance. She is out of the loop in this situation, just like the audience is. To make matters worse, even she doesn’t tell you the complete story.
Businessman Ram Kapoor, who fled India after committing an Rs. 2000 crore scam, is currently being extradited. We get us guys if this is an intentional resemblance to a certain guy whose drink our nation enjoys. If not, Ram, please shave that beard as soon as possible. However, the actor enjoys playing the outrageous Mr. Kapoor that the role calls for. Fun but cliche.
Danesh Razvi is a pleasant surprise in this case. It’s entertaining to watch him approach the frame with such assurance while maintaining his mystery. This is an attempt to demonstrate his breadth and is fairly decent for someone who made a significant entry into the Indian scene with a BBC period drama.
Everyone else is a monochromatic parody of a character you have seen before. Many times, the performances go too far and become overly dramatic before Vidya saves them. The biggest transgression is giving an actor of Shanana Goswami’s caliber a one-note, pointless role.
Direction, Music
Anu Menon’s humor always hits the mark without detracting in any way from the situation. Neeyat is no different. She attempts to add depth to her story by including a sort of commentary on how the wealthy take advantage of the less fortunate, but it never develops into a conversation. The mystery is entertaining to watch, and some of the surprises are good. If she tries to make another whodunit, you can anticipate an experienced film.
The proportion of music used is quite correct. The silences are allowed their place, and they carry out their intended function.
The Last Word
Neeyat is a circumstance when the glass is half full, but you won’t let it slide. Vidya Balan is enchanting once more.
Neeyat Trailer
