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'Raat Akeli Hai' review: A murder mystery powered by an almost-perfect cast and tonally perfect making, but fizzles out in parts
Honey Trehan's debut film, Raat Akeli Hai, released digitally on Netflix on the 31st of July. Starring a talented crop of fine artists such as Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Radhika Apte, Shweta Tripathi, Tigmanshu Dhulia and many others, Raat Akeli Hai was touted to be a film in the crime thriller genre, with many already labeling it as an Indian Knives Out. Here's our review on the desi crime thriller.
A dead man, that too a powerful patriarch/politician, shot point blank in a sprawling mansion in the rural hinterlands of Gwalior, a posse of family members with unclear intentions who have not heard a thing or the commotion that ensued before it, and an unwanted newcomer to the family whose origins and backgrounds are shadier than those of the family members combined. Add to that a cop, like in other similar movies of the genre, hell bent on digging up the truth. What debutant Honey Trehan and writer Smita Singh orchestrates here is the perfect setting for a gripping whodunit. Whether Raat Akeli Hai satisfies it's viewer's thirst for an intensely captivating watch is a matter of doubt.
Honey Trehan's debut works best in pulling the viewer into the world he narrates this murder mystery thriller. The rural setting and it's inherent political, caste and gender dynamics is deftly and inevitably depicted here. We follow Jatil Yadav (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), the humble, beauty-conscious, single yet stubborn cop, as he places the various pieces of the puzzles together. For the first half of the film, and some more into the latter half, Raat Akeli Hai does it's best in engaging us, mostly thanks to it's sombre setting and the astute framing of the story's subjects in an ominous ambience. There is that certain bleak mood that Trehan deploys in his film, which works in his favor, despite being a tool repeatedly adopted by Indian directors who want to release their film on an OTT platform.
The director's (formerly a casting director) choice of his artists is spot on. The A-list actors is one reason that Raat Akeli Hai doesn't disappoint to an extent. Siddqui plays the determined police inspector with his never-disappointing artistic finesse, while the others who share screen with him, especially the likes of Aditya Shrivastava, Shreedhar Dubey and Ila Arun, also make their presence felt, thanks to a script that provides them enough substance to devour. Siddiqui brilliantly plays the nuances and different shades of his police character, and proves, indeed, that this man is a treat to watch. Personally, I wasn't interested in the characterization of Radhika Apte's Radha, a prostitute whom the deceased patriarch marries hours before his death. While the trailer hinted at a bold, strong and enigmatic character, much of the depth falters towards the end. Had the character been well written, Apte, who displays yet again her penchant with Netflix productions, would have had much more to savor and perform, also given the talented artist she is.
The characters are almost placed accurately by the writer and skillfully portrayed by the talent; however, Raat Akeli Hai's major drawback is the way in which how most of these characters lack depth. Despite the intricate family background above which the thriller is set, there is excessive toil by the brain to deduce the familial connections between the members and the victim. At two and a half hours, this shouldn't have been a laborious task and the script should have been able to dictate to the viewers, how these characters are related, and what their backstories are. That goes without mentioning that of all the characters, the director and the screenplay writer invests ample emphasis on our lead, giving him a background that shapes his judgement, a blooming relation and career struggles.
Also, the investigative element in the film, despite having enough firepower to engage it's viewer, lacks the necessary gravitas as Raat Akeli Hai inches towards the climax. Maybe this is why at a crucial plot point of the big reveal, the viewer might say "Just get it over with", however suspenseful and shocking the reveal is. Add to the woe, a family drama ensues where blames are exchanged and stances are justified. Somewhere, the investigative, revelatory spirit wanes. Trehan and Singh also weave in a subplot of a chemistry between Yadav and Apte's character Radha; as far as this whodunit mystery thriller was concerned, that was an unnecessary trope. Why, because at two and a half hours, scenes and sequences to depict a blossoming romance between two unlikely characters only decelerates the narrative, especially where it has to have a mysterious magnetism that hooks it's audience.
The makers also try to subtly weave in powerful messages that shout out against entrenched patriarchy in rural India and the norms and conditions that perpetrate female submissiveness. The effort to tackle these issues proves integral to the narrative, and that is another one of the major achievements in this film.
Raat Akeli Hai is marked by fine performances, spearheaded by a captivating stint by Siddiqui, and a tonally perfect, ambitious making. While it's investigative cum murder mystery plot has enough to grip it's viewer, the narrative loses it's charm as it approaches it's climax.
Reviewer© rating: 3 stars
Run time: 149 minutes
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