Starring : Amitabh Bachchan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Vidya Balan, Sabyasachi Chakraborty, Padmavati Rao, Prakash Belawadi
Producer : Sujoy Ghosh
Director : Ribhu Dasgupta
Music : Clinton Cerejo
Review by : Kriti Agarwal
Rating : 3.5 out of 5
What's about : "Te3n" is an official 'whodunnit' remake of 2013 South Korean movie "Montage." The stylised title is a tribute to David Fincher’s crime thriller Se7en . In mystery film "TE3N" -- the intriguing title refers to the 3 protagonists of this jagged jigsaw of crime and retribution.
Movie hinges on a missing schoolgirl and a distraught grandfather’s nearly decade-long fight for justice. Te3n encapsulate two of Kolkata’s pet obsessions – fish and politics . The slow-burning drama about crime, tragedy, guilt and retribution has the potential to repay the patience of those that don’t switch off their brains when watching a film.
Location : Kolkata , Doors of the Victorian-era Writer's Building were opened for the first time to shoot this movie. The Howrah cantilever, the second Hooghly Bridge, St. Paul’s Cathedral all lit up on Christmas night, Durga immersion processions, trams and river boat rides – But no landmark is allowed to get bigger than the film itself.
Story :
A cop (Vidya Balan), a priest (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) and a vengeful man (Amitabh Bachchan) set out to investigate a kidnapping case. Nothing will stop John —not old age, an erratic scooter or his caregiver duties to his wheelchair-bound wife.
Wheelchair-bound wife Nancy (Padmavati Rao) and the police officer working on the case, Sarita Sarkar (Vidya Balan), advise John to forget the past and move on. He cannot. In fact, he does not even try.Another man on whom the past ways heavy is Father Martin (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), a former cop who has taken refuge in religion to live down a gnawing sense of guilt.It was under Martin’s watch that John’s granddaughter had gone missing. The mystery is kept alive right through. They keep the viewer second-guessing its twists and turns.
Kolkata is not the world of shining skyscrapers, but a city where the walls demand a coat of paint. Here the lights are dim and bylanes eerie and empty.The old-age charm of the City of Joy is captured in all its glory. The chiaroscuro of the by-lanes of Kolkata make you oddly nostalgic.
Characters :
Amitabh Bachchan [John Biswas]: Superlative. Having mastered every mannerism of a senior citizen, walks with his shoulders touching his chest , rarely smiles ,keeps his mouth open almost all the time, or looks over the rim of his spectacles, his nuances are spot on. Subdued body language, the simplicity n yet a quest for truth against all odds, an awe inspiring performance.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui [ Father Martin Das]: fleshes out two distinct personas , a sarcastic cop-turned-priest. He does so with remarkably subtle variations in body language and dialogue delivery. Infuses wit and humour into the otherwise dry church-talk.
Vidya Balan [ Sarita Sarkar] : mystifyingly billed as a special appearance, but has a full-fledged role.
Sabyasachi Chakrabarty [ Manohar Sinha, Ronnie's grandfather ] : shows how to get noticed subtly.
Padmavati Rao [ John's wife Nancy] : slips into her character easily .
Prakash Belawadi [ Manohar's colleague]: is wasted.
Pros : first-rate Technical inputs. The stunningly effective combined work of Cinematographer + Sound designer merits an unstinted shout out. brilliant Writing, controlled Direction . Screenplay is a sheer delight with unusual visuals, reality of everyday life keeps u hooked till the end. very well Executed.
Cons : Slow Pace , Editing could have been tighter . Vidya Balan looked too plump to be a cop and struggled to sprint.
Nawazuddin’s character as the Priest displayed negative attributes – he is lying as well as passing sarcastic comments towards a wedding couple which is uncalled for.
Music : Haq Hai is the Best song. KyunRe & Grahan are superb . Background score is brilliant. Amitabh has also lent his vocals to one version of ‘Kyun Re’.
Bottom line : TE3N is a memorable experience!! An engaging thriller with a lot of twist and turns , watch sitting on the edge of the seats, biting your nails. TE3N catches you by the neck and keeps you engrossed for 2 hours 20 minutes.
Make sure you watch this film in a theatre with solid acoustics. You may miss some of the whispers and murmurs about life's regrets and their ruinous remedies.
"TE3N" is a thriller with a heart, soul and a conscience. A big THUMBS UP