Talaash is the kind of movie which could have just been critically acclaimed and forgotten in a few weeks had the director Reema Kagti chosen to shoot with a bunch of freshers. But because she chose to cast three superstars despite a strong story, the movie is pitted to become a landmark in the supernatural thriller genres.

The movie needs to be taken seriously right from the opening scene. As small as a street’s dog’s howling will make sense once the suspense is revealed. The director has gone to the extent of mentioning the street dog in a dialogue.  We may think its just cheap comedy but its not. There are also a few shots where one might start feeling that Kareena is everywhere and listening to all the plots. This in no way is a flaw in the script. Everything would make sense once the suspense is revealed.

Aamir Khan is famous for his stint with experimentation. Although this movie may not be a huge revenue generator, but that should not deter his willingness to try new roles. He has portrayed the role of a depressed father with extreme sincerity. So much to the extent that he managed to roll out a few tears from the audiences towards the climax. One of them being a girl sitting next to me.

Rani appears with almost zero make-up and totally does justice to her role. Kareena looks dashing in this movie. All she does is smile and look pretty, but once the suspense is revealed, her role becomes even more important. Nawazuddin Siddique of ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ fame comes up with a fine performance as the limping pimp.

Reema Katgi co-wrote the movie along with Zoya Akhtar. The dialogues were written by Farhan Akhtar. Its a great combination. Watch out for the scene where Aamir Khan repents the loss of his son and he keeps thinking of preventive alternatives that he could have taken to avoid his son’s death. Thats the director’s toast.

Ram Sampath is the unsung hero of this movie as he comes up with five songs and all five of them stand out and mesmerize. Usually Farhan Akhtar prefers Shankar Ehsan Loy but Ram Sampath has exceeded the stereotype.

Talaash has a unique story and is neatly executed. 4 stars !

–Varun Mannava Gowtham