Superstar Armaan Kapoor (Vivaan Bhatena) is the victim of an accident, when his vehicle plummets into the sea late one night, suddenly and inexplicably. On the surface, it looks like an open-and-shut case, but Inspector Shekhawat (Aamir Khan) digs up a case of blackmailing which he believes might have something to do with the accident. Thus begins an investigation that takes him into the underbelly of the city, where he befriends Rosie (Kareena Kapoor), a commercial sex worker who helps him on his talaash. Meanwhile, things are not too good on the home-front for Inspector Shekhawat, as he and his wife Roshni (Rani Mukerji) are still reeling from a tragedy that broke their family some time ago.

With an impressive starcast like that, and a story in the able hands of Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar, one expects a lot from Talaash. But does it live up to these expectations? Read our Pros and Cons list – completely spoiler free – to find out!

Pros:

+ The performances. Each actor does a great job in this film – Aamir does best in his emotional scenes, while Rani delivers a spectacularly restrained performance that is in sharp contrast to her previous Aiyyaa. Kareena looks too glamorous to be a commercial sex worker, but plays her role well. Shernaz Patel, as the meddling neighbour, is creepy in just the right way. The real star of the show, though, is Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who has had a fabulous run as of late with Kahaani and Gangs of Wasseypur.

+ It’s not predictable. That’s a tough one to achieve, and whether you like the twists or not, you at least cannot see them coming for the most part. Reema Kagti makes sure to peel apart the story layer by layer, and you’re never really sure exactly what’s happening, until the final twenty minutes or so.

+ It’s immersive. The mood of Talaash is very distinct, and it pulls you into it like a whole new world. The credit of this goes to Kagti for her direction, K U Mohanan for his cinematography, Sharmistha Roy for art direction, and Ram Sampath for a score that works brilliantly in the film – right from Muskaanein Jhooti Hain, a lazy and sexy number that captures late-night Mumbai perfectly.

Cons:

– It can get slow. I, personally, would have preferred a faster-paced thriller, but Talaash is in no hurry. It takes its time to set the tone of the film, and secrets are revealed at their own pace. It’s equal parts character-driven as it is plot-driven, which is not necessarily a bad thing at all – but one tends to walk into a film like Talaash expecting to be on the edge of their seat the entire time.

Verdict:

Talaash, for the most part, works: it’s a smartly put together story that’s also been packaged well – however, how much you like the film depends a lot on your thoughts of the last twenty minutes or so. Regardless of that, it’s definitely worth a watch!