TE3N- Movie review

Rating: 3/5

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Nawazudin Siddique, Vidya Balan

Director: Ribhu Das Gupta

A crime investigation thriller, T3EN tracks the lives of John Biswas (Amitabh) and Father Martin (Nawazudin), 8 years after the death of John’s granddaughter, who was kidnapped and consequently died. Martin, then a policeman, failed to capture the kidnapper. John, unable to come to terms with his granddaughter’s death, doesn’t rest and wants the kidnapper brought to justice. 8 years, he visits the police for updates, tries to investigate himself but in vain. Martin on the other hand, resigns his job and becomes a Father. He keeps in touch with John and his wife but has no inclination towards the case. But a kidnapping with the similar MO happens when a little boy gets kidnapped. Savita (Vidya Balan), is in charge of the case and catches the similarity. She takes the help of Martin to put an end to the mystery and nab the kidnapper.  John, on the other hand, continues his investigation and acquires a break through.

                                               

T3EN works most of the time, but still falls short of being a perfect thriller. Why? One reason could be because of its similarity to Kahani- set in Kolkata, Vidya Balan factor; even the story telling is pretty much similar. Though it is credit to Amitabh for playing a very weak character in John Biswas, yet, it’s impossible not to miss the Amitabh in a more majestic role. Somewhere I felt, the character was a misfit to him. The story moves around between past and present, and most of the time it is done clearly. Yet (Yes...another yet LOL), there are lot of things which need more clarification (Can’t reveal as it would be a giveaway). The primary incident is shown too quickly, in bits, without any depth, for all the details to be digested. The director, Ribhu Das Gupta, has done a fairly good job with the script but the screenplay could have been better arranged. Just when you are into the present story, the past comes in, confusing the entire sequence.

The songs are fair, but forced into the story. Cinematography is good. Background music could have been better. BG plays an important role in stories like these.

Actors play their part well. Vidya Balan is good as Savita. The character is more than just a guest appearance. Amitabh as always is excellent. The standout has to be Nawazudin. He is great as a police officer first and then as a Father, ridden by guilt and running away from accepting failure.

T3EN is a onetime watch (Probably twice, if you want to understand better). The story is very interesting and executed well for most part of it. Thrillers of this kind have become too scarce.