Review: Neeyat is well intentional and reasonably mounted

This Neeyat is well intentioned and reasonably well mounted.

Hyderabad: Director Anu Menon hands over a decent whodunit that ensures that the viewership is engrossed and interested in knowing what is happening and who the killer is. Also, the victim being a financial fugitive, he evokes no sympathy, and the viewer is not taking sides – much less any sympathy – only curiosity. This works well for the structure of the film.

Set in Scotland in a remote castle where a dining table full of friends are invited for the birthday of ‘on the run’ businessman Ashish Kapoor (Ram Kapoor).

---

At the outset we have a roll call and therefore an intro to the players in the murder mystery. Suspended doctor Neeraj Kabi (Sanjay Suri) and his wife Noor (Dipannita Sharma) and their son (Madhav Deval), an indulgent film enthusiast. Kabi is obviously a very close friend and his wife, AK’s previous girlfriend.

His present girlfriend, Lisa (Shahana Goswami) along with disturbed teenager (Ishika Mehra), are among the special invitees alongside Tarot reader, Zara (Niki Walia), AK’s brother-in-law Jimmy Mistry (Rahul Bose), AK’s son Rayan (Shashank Arora), and others.

The happenings are on a stormy night. While all seems hunky dory at first, there is simmering jealously and negativity in the inner labyrinths. In fact, each of the invitees have a baggage of their own to handle. Is it that everyone intimately connected to the billionaire is dysfunctional emotionally?

Anu Menon, also throws in a few incidents to suggest drug abuse, gay relationship, adultery, and the like. Into the party walks CBI officer, Mira Rao (Vidya Balan) while members of her team cannot make it due to the storm Irene.

AK announces that he is going to surrender to the Indian Government and does not want to carry the burden of allegations and guilt. However, the same night he jumps off the cliff into a flowing river. Suicide? No, is the prognosis.

The post interval story sets the needle of suspicion on every person at the party and the question is: who killed AK? Mira gets into the act of investigation and skeletons jump out of every one’s cupboard. Wait to see it all with the interesting twists including, the arrival of a new character at the climax, suggesting a positive sequel.

Most of well selected actors end up with fleshless roles that literally has the suspects rolling into the suspect list with scars aplenty. Dipannita Sharma mistakes looking seductive to playing a part. Sanjay Suri is inconsistent. Even the talented Sahana Goswami and Rahul Bose are caricatures.

Vidya Balan gives the role of an investigating officer her unique interpretation. As the nosy detective who has an eye for details, she is central to the film in the post interval story and keeps it going admirably. At another level the film belongs to Ram Kapoor who plays the larger-than-life character, inspired by you-know-who, with great success.

This Neeyat is well intentioned and reasonably well mounted.