No matter how hard you try to avoid reviews and spoilers, they always creep in on social media and influence an avid movie lover’s point-of-view. These quick social media reviews distract the clean state of someone who wants to approach a movie unbiased.
This happened to me most recently with the new Nawazuddin Siddiqui-starrer “Raat Akeli Hai.” Released on July 31 on Netflix, Raat Akeli Hai was immediately compared to last year’s Hollywood thriller “Knives Out”, with many film buffs posting non-stop on social media about their similarities. This made me want to avoid the ‘Hindi version’ but again, I have a soft spot for Siddiqui and missing out on his movie just because some people claimed it was a rip-off would be unjust.
Thank god! I again learned not to take people’s claims online too seriously. For any sane viewer who understands both the languages, the only similarity between Raat Akeli Hai and Knives Out is that they are both modern whodunits. Also, the premises are similar, where an old man gets murdered in an old house and family members are suspects. But the same can be said of many other murder mysteries starring superstar detectives Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot.
In Raat Akeli Hai, a rich old man Raghubeer Singh (Khalid Tyabji) is found murdered with his own gun on the night of his wedding inside his haveli. Inspector Jatil Yadav (Siddiqui) is assigned to investigate the murder, where everyone in the family, including Raghubeer’s newly wed wife, Radha (Radhika Apte), is a suspect.
Now it’s up to inspector Yadav to bring the killer to justice. But his work in made hard by toxic relations between the family members, their secretive nature, their resistance to the investigation, as well as a past relationship the detective had with one of the family members. There is also outside interference in the investigation from powerful people and at the same time, more people get murdered. Also, a double robbery plus homicide from five years ago resurfaces as a connecting dot to Raghubeer’s murder, adding even more complexity.
Complications, or conflicts, are what drive the movie from the beginning. The dark, gritty, suspense film creates crisis after crisis for the detective, culminating in one fine example of the ending of a film noir. Inspector Yadav struggles to find the killer, fighting off his family issues at the same time, as well as facing adversities from his seniors and colleagues. Raghubeer, who always appears in the past, shows how a person with power and money can keep corrupting the system, even after his death.
Director Honey Trehan creates an exemplary show-reel for a murder mystery in this film written by Smita Singh. Raat Akeli Hai maintains a realistic approach to filmmaking, most likely in honor of its talented cast. And despite the 2hrs 29min length, which is considered rather long for a feature film these days, the screenplay is engaging enough to capture the audience attention throughout. There is a lag at times though, where some scenes feel stretched and redundant, but given the rest of execution, they seem more like a stylistic touch than a weakness.
Although it is a murder mystery with half a dozen suspects, Siddiqui as the investigating officer steals the limelight. This is also where Raat Akeli Hai differs from Knives Out, the latter being an ensemble while the former mostly banks on one popular actor. With his ability to take on any role and convince the audience it was written just for him, Siddiqui again proves his worth. The weak character and lack of screen time for the unofficial face of Netflix India, Radhika Apte, is a bummer though.
Who should watch it?
Whether you’re a Nawazuddin Siddiqui fan or not, Raat Akeli Hai is a must-watch if you’re into movies that play with you mind and leave you thinking frantically for a couple of hours. This is the kind of movie you can watch now, and would not mind re-watching a year later.
Raat Akeli Hai
Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Crime/Drama
Actors: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Radhika Apte
Director: Honey Trehan
Run time: 2hrs 29min
