Te3n (2016) - Bollywood's finest thriller of 2016, so far
Teen, stylized as Te3n, and in the English language,
Three, is perhaps the finest Bollywood
thriller of 2016, so far.
The Plot: Based on the 2013 South Korean film Montage, it
depicts the pain and struggle a grandfather (Amitabh Bachhan) must go through
to find out what happened to his daughter, in a kidnapping event set eight
years prior to the current events.
The Good and The Bad: The cinematography is the foremost
aspect of this feature. I really loved the lighting applied to both the
present-timed shots and those of the flashbacks. I thought the bluish tone of
the flashbacks were brilliant and really added depth to the narrative.
The narrative is finely penned. But it's relevant from
the first half onwards that it took three screenwriters to scribe the script.
This is because even though the plot is carried cleverly through dialogues by our main
character John and his interaction with detective-turned-priest Martin
(Nawazuddin Siddiqui), there are times at which the present timeline becomes
boring and the past footage is more fun to view.
Acting is the second-best feature of this flick. Amitabh
Bachhan steals the show with an Oscar-worthy performance. The irony is that
despite us having Siddiqui and Vidya Balan, performers of such high caliber,
they are overshadowed by Mr. Bachhan's superior talent.
But don't let that be a blemish on the characterization
implemented by the writing team. Every individual in the movie has their own allotted
time in the spotlight, and both Siddiqui and Balan are given personas which
they effortlessly make their own. Siddiqui is charismatic and I liked how it's
shown why he gave up/got fired being a cop and transitioned to becoming a
priest. And Balan, who has already cemented her position in B-Town as one of
its greatest actresses, is equally impressive as Siddiqui in this exhibition.
Furthermore, from the onset to the ending, Mr. Bachhan
not only showed his versatility from being a classic Bollywood heartthrob, to a
70-year old grandfather (and yes, he's 73 in real life), but he made Te3n the
epitome of a character-driven shocker. This proves that Bollywood like Hollywood,
that still relies on oldies like Samuel L. Jackson and Clint Eastwood to
provide quality entertainment, also gives space to its legends to prove they
have no limit to their on-screen showmanship.
Te3n is stronger after its interval of one hour and a few
minutes has passed. It takes about 30-40 minutes to actually build up tension.
I understand that it's an emotional thriller, but it the start should've been
better with a swifter pace.
Pacing is the greatest upset of Te3n. Only after the
interval does everything (the writing, direction and acting) create such a colossal
impact for the viewer, that it came out
as an explosion of cinematic genius. That's why I commend the superb direction
by Ribhu Dasgupta and hope that he makes more films with such finesse.
The Verdict: If you're more into higher budgeted
ventures, then Te3n might not be for you, but if you want compelling storytelling
with an extremely gratifying ending, then this movie is certainly a must-watch,
especially for the enthusiasts of dramatic suspense.
Rating: 3 out of 4.
If you enjoy thrillers, please do check out Masoom Thrillers #1:
If you enjoy thrillers, please do check out Masoom Thrillers #1:
A collection of five short-stories guaranteed to chill your spine. Henna tells the tale of an ancient ritual gone wrong. Witness Protection deals with an FBI agent visiting a creepy village. Ghosts of Iraq is about four US soldiers haunted by a ghost in Iraq. Red Carpet is about two teenagers who discover something sinister at a high-end nightclub.
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