TE3N [2016 ]
Directed by : Ribhu Dasgupta
Cast : Amitabh Bachchan
There are certain high profile restaurants that serve exotic or authentic dishes which need an "acquired taste" for a consumer to actually relish them. TE3N which is a psychological thriller falls in that category wherein the viewer needs to like such genres in order to actually understand and enjoy the proceedings on screen.
Set in Bengal, an old grandfather John Biswas [Amitabh Bachchan] is distraught when his loving grand child Angela is kidnapped by an unknown person. Inspite of his sincere attempts to cooperate with the kidnapper the child is murdered. The Murderer/ Kidnapper remains a mystery and is never nabbed nor does anybody know his identity.
Eight years later another grandfather [ Sabyasachi Chakraborty] faces a similar dilemma when his grand child is kidnapped exactly in the same manner as the modus operandi followed in the previous crime. This time the Cops and the Family do not want to lose the innocent child like the first case and what follows is a gripping tale of chase and shocking revelations.
Who is the Kidnapper ?
Why did he murder the poor girl in the first case?
Why is the same crime repeated exactly in the same manner after 8 years ?
Will John Biswas get justice after 8 years of relentless and endless wait ?
The audience is baffled and anxious in order to solve these questions. The mystery element is very well used and the movie falls in the same calibre as Sujoy Ghosh's Kahaani or Reema Kagti's Talaash. One can't deny the several flaws in the direction, Dasgupta falters multiple times and has an haphazard screenplay and unimpressive editing to give him company.
Amitabh Bachchan! The sole reason to watch this movie and the only saving grace. At 73 years of age this supremely talented institution of acting performs one of the most difficult role for any actor. He is spot on and perfectly conveys the helplessness, anxiety and anger that a senior citizen old and pained Grandfather has to display. As an audience you feel for him when he gets emotional on screen. The most distinguishing factor of his performance is that you never get to see THE Superstar instead you get acquainted with a benign old Bengali man called John Biswas. He lives his character on screen.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui as a Priest is sincere in his act and Vidya Balan is impressive as the investing officer. Among the supporting cast Sabyasachi Chakraborty is fine but the others like Padmavati Rao, Tota Roy Choudhry, Anupam Bhattacharya don't get much screen presence.
Psychological Thrillers are very rare in Bollywood and it is still a much ignored genre here. As mentioned earlier this movie would cater to viewers who would have that acquired taste for out of the box whodunit like this. Inspite of several technical flaws it's a must watch for Bachchan fans.
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