Vishal Bhardwaj's latest thriller, Khufiya, is a disappointment, especially for those who enjoyed the trailer. Bhardwaj has made much better films in the past, with superior tone, structure, and story. Even his adaptations are more than just adaptations, as he always reinterprets the basic plot to fit the contemporary social and political climate (as seen in Haider, Omkara, and Maqbool).
In Khufiya, Vishal Bhardwaj fails to create the magic that he is known for, despite his interest in the genre and a stellar cast. However, before you jump to conclusions, Khufiya is not a bad film. It simply has the potential to be much more, especially in the hands of such a talented director. Khufiya is based on Amar Bhushan's book Escape to Nowhere and claims to be inspired by two real stories. The film revolves around Krishna Mehra (aka KM), a RAW agent played by Tabu.
Tabu's Krishna Mehra recruits the Bangladeshi actress Azmeri Haque Badhon's character, Octopus, for a dangerous mission, but something happens during the mission that makes R&AW suspect they have been infiltrated. The trailer reveals that Ali Fazal's Ravi Mohan and his family (including his wife Chaaru, played by Wamiqa Gabbi) are the prime suspects.
The plot gets convoluted and overly long in the middle, trying to do too much: expose a spy, make political references, and build an engaging story. The film is 2 hours and 37 minutes long and could have been edited down significantly, including two unnecessary montage songs, one in each half. Haider (2014) was also long, at 160 minutes.
An espionage story needs to be taut and suspenseful. "Khufiya" lacks that tension. However, the cast is excellent, especially Azmeri Haque Badhon, who is charming, deceptive, and has a great arc in this otherwise not-so-brilliant film. Wamiqa, Ali Fazal, Ashish Vidyarthi, and Tabu are also credible in their roles. It is the script that lets the film down.